Two years since Uganda reopened its economy after the devastating effects from the Covid-19 pandemic, some local players have mastered the art of eCommerce innovations by creating services that connect products and customers easily.
Platforms like SafeBoda, Jumia, Uber, and Glovo, etc, all took center stage during the days of the lockdown, making it easier for consumers to access goods and services. However, even with the boom of eCommerce, there were few local Ugandan brands that took the spotlight.
These include Nakasero Online for Nakasero market, Kikuubo Online for Kikuubo traders and Tubayo for travel, among others. The latest entrant in this eCommerce mix is Belle Beauty. Founded by Alice Sharon Namugerwa, Belle Beauty is an eCommerce platform that delivers beauty services and products through a mobile phone application (App) downloadable on both Android Google Play and IOS Apple Store.
“We are a labour of love for the last two years. We have been working and perfecting this product to be a solution for the market. We have created a marketplace where innovation meets lifestyle because we believe that beauty is a lifestyle,” Namugerwa said.
“On one hand, we are delivering beauty and lifestyle products to customers at their convenience while, on the other, we are providing a ready market for local innovators in the beauty industry to showcase and sell their products. We are hopeful that Belle Beauty is going to create lasting value in our society,” she added.
She was speaking at the launch of Belle Beauty at Fairway hotel last week. According to Namugerwa, the journey of Belle Beauty started in 2021 when she registered a team of four to participate in that year’s Women in FinTech Hackathon, organized by HiPipo. Charlotte Neeza, the HiPipo FinTech events manager, corroborated her story, saying that even though Belle Beauty was not the overall winner of the 2021 Women in FinTech Hackathon, it had a good market proposition with potential to impact many customers and suppliers.
“The Belle Beauty team was among the over 20 teams shortlisted for 2021 Women in FinTech Hackathon. For one week, they readied their production for presentation. Even though they were not the overall winners of the hackathon, they finished with a working minimum valuable product (MVP) offering beauty services and ready to enter the market. Belle Beauty has since had several improvements and has now transformed into a super lifestyle App for Uganda,” Neeza noted.
As a super lifestyle App, Belle Beauty is now offering beauty services, selling beauty products from local manufacturers, and does events’ ticketing, among other services. According to eCommerce ECDB, Uganda’s eCommerce is growing with revenues of about $123 million in 2023. This revenue is projected to grow by an average of 5.6 per cent per annum in the next four years.
Electronics is the largest eCommerce market in Uganda, accounting for about 25.3 per cent of the total revenue, followed by hobby and leisure at 22.9 per cent, fashion at 18.9 per cent, furniture and homeware at 11.2 per cent, care products at 8.2 per cent, DIY at 7.5 per cent, and grocery taking the remaining 6.2 per cent.
BUBU IS ALIVE
According to Amelia Kyambadde, a senior presidential advisor on Industry, Belle Beauty is a clear example that the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) spirit is alive.
“I am proud to witness the launch of Belle Beauty today because it is clear that I am enjoying the fruits of our BUBU innovation at the ministry of Trade. I remember when I introduced Buy Uganda Build Uganda, there was a lot of skepticism but I told them that they would feel the fruits after some time. Reality has stuck now as we are enjoying the fruits of our very own – our own innovations, market, products, service providers and producers,” Kyambadde said.
She added: “When I look around here, I just see the youths and I am very proud to see that they are coming up with their innovations, creating Ugandan solutions to address Ugandan problems. The youths are aggressive in the market, creating opportunities for more people and working to transform our economy. Their efforts are commendable.”
Source: The Observer
