SureGifts.com.ng is a pioneering innovative ecommerce platform that is debuting gift cards in Nigeria. Launched by Adeoye Ojo, Olaoluwa Samuel-Biyi and Babafemi Lawal, the platform allows gift recipients to decide, to an extent, the type of gift they will get. In this exclusive interview, Adeoye Ojo, one of the co-founders tells Innovation Village the genesis, exodus and revelation of the platform. He also spoke extensively on the platform’s special offers for Valentine’s Day.
InnovationVillage (IV): You guys weren’t the only Jumia employees, what brought you guys together, what similarities did you see and what synergy can you build?
Adeoye Ojo (AO): We all were early employees at Jumia (formerly Kasuwa) and handled business intelligence for different sections (Marketing, Production, Purchasing and Logistics) of the business, so naturally we were constantly working together and leveraging on our individual strengths trying to figure out problems, propose solutions and implement some of them. We were all analytical so it made working with each other easy and we developed a friendship beyond work. Months down the line we already knew we will be building businesses together.
IV: What is unique about SureGifts?
AO: Quite simply, gift cards by Suregifts are simpler to acquire and use, they are more personal, and more functional for senders, recipients and merchants.
IV: How did gift cards come into existence in the first place?
AO: In a sense, gift cards or gift certificates are a form of currency, so the precise origins will be hard to imagine. But certainly the Gift Card market has grown significantly in developed economies.
IV: It is quite new in Nigeria so what gave you confidence that people will embrace it here?
AO: From past experience crunching data and analyzing consumer behaviour, we discovered a trend in buying patterns for Men and Women, that made us conclude that there is a market for this, and yes the market is starting to validate this. The Gift Specialist service has also gotten considerably good traction and we are excited about this.
IV: Your platform suggests a new trend in ecommerce where there is specialization and categorization. Do you see more platforms emerging that are not general like Jumia and Konga?
AO: Definitely, it is only smart for anybody willing to play in the e-commerce field now to focus on a niche market. And more innovative forms of e-commerce should emerge I believe.
IV: How are Nigerians responding to the platform, what is the level of patronage since the January launch?
AO: In the past month, Growth has matched our expectations and we have several happy customers already.
IV: Where are your customers more concentrated, geographically?
AO: Most of our orders have come in from Lagos as expected but we’ve also had orders coming in from Nigerians outside the country (UK, Dubai, US etc).
On a daily basis we get mails from people in different parts of the country asking if giftcards can be redeemed in their states, so we are working hard to make Suregifts available nationwide soonest.
IV: Are there special offers for Valentine’s Day?
AO: Yes, we are.
At the moment, we have a list of curated gift items (gift cards inclusive) packaged at different price points available on the website for men and women. Customers orders which one they want and we deliver in a beautiful package to the recipients on Valentine’s Day (service is only available in Lagos and delivery is free).
For customers not satisfied with our selection, they have the option of using our Gift Specialist service to decide what their lover receives. Bundles are available on www.suregifts.com.ng/valentine
IV: Let’s talk specifically about the available packages for Valentine’s Day
AO: For the valentine packages we have N10000, N25000 and N50000 bundles packaged for Men and Women and we will be delivering for our customers on Valentine’s Day.
IV: Let’s say a prospective customers is confused about what gift card to choose, what support services do you offer such a person?
AO: The Gift Specialist service easily addressed this situation. Also in a situation like that a mail to hello@suregifts.com.ng or a comment about this on any of our social media channels will have a customer service executive get in touch to help out.
IV: What is the net worth of SureGifts?
AO: We will like to keep that undisclosed.
IV: What lies ahead in 2014?
AO: In 2014, we plan to grow consistently MOM and keep meeting or surpassing our set targets. We want to increase brand awareness for SureGifts and be the home of gifts in Nigeria which means we will have to quickly expand and have top quality merchants across major states in Nigeria.
