The ShopZetu fashion e-commerce firm from Kenya has been successful in securing pre-seed funding of US$1 million to assist its plans to grow outside of Kenya. The funding will be used to support the expansion of its fashion marketplace and make it possible to include categories like cosmetics and home décor on its website. The firm wants to establish itself as a top lifestyle platform by catering to the rising needs of young, fashion-conscious women in Africa.
In the upcoming months, ShopZetu intends to expand geographically with an emphasis on attracting global fashion brands and growing the number of sellers on its platform from the current 300 to 1,000. The business plans to test regional delivery services in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to accomplish this.
Marvin Kiragu and Wandia Gichuru founded ShopZetu. Currently, Kiragu and the platform include over 20,000 products from over 300 sellers, including local manufacturers and traders of imported fashion products.
Vendor enrolment is free, and they charge commissions for both platform-generated sales and other services like shipping. Additionally, ShopZetu provides suppliers with a range of discounted services, including content production, digital marketing, warehousing, last-mile shipping and returns administration.
