The panel of discussants at the Connect-Commerce conference, anchored by CNBC Africa held at the Oriental Hotel Lagos took a brief look at issues having to do with starting a business online or moving a business online in Nigeria.
The panel based their discussion on the theme: Connect Commerce 2015: Supporting SMES Through The Evolving Digital Age
One of the main point of the discussion is for beginners to start small and pay attention to using free media or platforms that will not entail paying a lot of money to establish. This helps the entrepreneur to focus and not get sidetracked or get disillusioned when getting started online with little funds.
Another focus of the discussion is that Nigerian businesses online should be able to disseminate information about payment to buyers on how to buy on the internet paying with credit cards. Nigerians are not very comfortable about purchasing items online with their debit or credit cards, so efforts must be driven toward making the consumer feel comfortable when shopping on the internet.
The panel also took turns answering questions from participants regarding issues that affect both online business starters and consumers in Nigeria.
The GMD FCMB, Ladi Balogun, also deliberated on the issue of supporting SMEs through the digital age. He commented on the potential that Nigeria has in growing opportunities for business. He spoke on the need for businesses to upgrade in technology in order to meet up with the demands of the current trends in Nigeria.
Seeing that Nigeria’s internet penetration is deepening, digitization is certainly paramount, as it affects SMEs’ operations. Mr Balogun also explained the role digitization plays in transformation of online markting.
