By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Nigerian shoppers now have more payment options on the popular e-commerce platform, Jumia, with the integration of PalmPay after a strategic partnership sealed by both organisations.

It was gathered that this collaboration underscores both parties’ commitment to developing the digital payment ecosystem in Nigeria and growing the use of the cashless economy.

PalmPay is a leading Africa-focused fintech operating Nigeria’s most used mobile wallet and its addition to the Jumia payment gateway will allow shoppers to pay for their purchases with the option to check out with their PalmPay wallet, ensuring a seamless user experience and transaction reliability through the direct integration.

This alliance marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration between two industry giants, aiming to drive innovation, increase convenience for consumers, and foster the adoption of digital payments across Africa.

To celebrate the launch of the partnership, PalmPay and Jumia are launching a special Christmas campaign, running from December 11 to 30.

During this period, customers who make purchases on Jumia using the PalmPay payment method will stand a chance to win exciting cash rewards.

“We are proud to partner with Jumia as we bring together the best of fintech and e-commerce to redefine the online shopping experience.

“This strategic alliance aligns perfectly with our shared commitment to delivering a superior user experience and exceptional value to our customers,” the Chief Marketing Officer of PalmPay, Ms Sofia Zab, said.

“At Jumia, we are dedicated to creating value for our customers by ensuring a convenient, reliable, and secure shopping experience.

“This partnership with PalmPay strengthens our commitment to enhancing the digital payments within our platform.

“By integrating PalmPay, we are providing more options for customers to access affordable and quality goods with the convenience of cashless transactions,” the chief executive of Jumia Nigeria, Mr Sunil Natraj, stated.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

An innovative product designed to help consumers conveniently have their parcels or purchased items picked up or delivered seamlessly has been introduced by Uber.

This product Uber package product known as Courier, allows consumers to book a delivery person to collect their prepaid items from stores, whether purchased in-store or online.

To use the service, consumers simply need to prepare the item for pickup, select “Courier” on the Uber app, choose the delivery type (send or receive), input the pickup and delivery addresses, and review the terms and conditions. Upon confirmation of the request, the consumer can monitor the delivery progress in real time via the app.

With store pickups, one can upload a picture of his or her receipt and provide specific instructions for the driver regarding where and how to pick up the items. Additionally, the driver can interact with the store on the customer’s behalf.

Safety remains a core principle that Uber embeds into all products and services. With Store Pickups, users can take advantage of Live Tracking, which allows them to follow the pickup and delivery of their items, and PIN Verification, which provides a unique PIN that the delivery person can use to verify that the correct item has been collected or delivered.

Commenting on this innovation, the Country Manager for Uber in Nigeria, Tope Akinwumi, said, “We aim to stay close to the evolving needs of our consumer base and the introduction of Store Pickups with Courier demonstrates this understanding.

“With Courier, one can send or receive items and also have purchased items picked up in-store, providing convenience for consumers and allowing them to spend more time with loved ones this festive season.”

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

It was a fun-filled day for friends and associates of a Lagos-based real estate company, Metro and Castle Limited, on Saturday, December 14, 2024.

The firm had its 2024 Realtors Hangout and it attracted several notable personalities and realtors, who gathered to celebrate with Metro and Castle at one of its newly-built facilities, Metro Homes, in the Ajah area of Lagos State.

The company also commissioned its newly built training centre, which can accommodate 150 people at a time. According to the organisation’s chief executive, Mr Adekunle Abdul, this facility will be used strictly for free training.

He informed guests at the event that, “This year has been pretty tough; there has been a lot of ups and downs. The forecast never comes to reality, but you wake up tomorrow and see all kinds of figures changing, and as a real estate professional, we are figure-oriented, you know, construction is one thing that if you miss the figures, you miss the business.

“In the midst of all that, God was able to come through, we are able to see through, we are able to manoeuvre through obstacles.

“All the projects that we set out to deliver this year were delivered; this is actually the last one. Unfortunately, the other ones are on the main road; they are apartments. We don’t build apartments inside; we build them on the main road.

“We delivered over 32 apartments, 2 blocks outside, over 16 units of terraces on the inside. The project for 2025 is already starting at the back, work is already going on.”

Speaking further, he said, “The most important thing in any business is brand building. Regardless of what the economic situation says, people will always need shelter, and when it gets tough, they will want to choose or go with the best in the market at that point.

“So, I would say that we leveraged our brand integrity; we are not on any news, we’ve never been on any social media platform, what you see is what you get.”

“Based on the referrals, people want to invest safely at this period; you can’t afford loss of funds in this economy, and people want to know that they are working with a real estate company that can deliver.

“I think for us, out of over 48 units, we only have 5 left here, everything has been sold out completely, so those that are buying are buying, that’s the truth,” he added.

Commenting on the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, Mr Abdul said the company gave a prayer partner a house and donated 15 solar street lights.