Masoko, Safaricom’s online marketplace is now live. News about Masoko surfaced in July 2017 when Safaricom said that it was “in its late stages of announcing an online shop for electronics and other services, paid for via award-winning M-Pesa.”
Techweez then reported in November that the Kenya-based online market would go live on the 16th of November.
We can now say that the online market is live. It currently boasts of over 20,000 items from 160 vendors, and it operates an Amazon and Jumia model where vendors sign up and sell their goods and it is set to start signing international vendors on the online portal in the first quarter of 2018.
You can pay for goods using M-PESA, Airtel Money, Visa, Master Card. Currently Masoko is NOT offering cash on delivery model and M-Visa is coming soon.
Masoko has partnered with Fargo Courier and Sendy, two Kenya-based delivery companies, to ensure that orders are delivered securely and on time. Delivery locations include Nairobi and most major towns in Kenya for now. It offers two types of delivery – Express delivery (within 24 hours – only within Nairobi and currently offered during business days) and Standard delivery (between 48 – 72 hours for all deliveries in Nairobi and areas outside Nairobi)
Masoko will have to compete with the likes of Kili Mall, Vitumob and Jumia Kenya.
