How Zimbabwean Businesses Are Using The Internet To Make Profits

The TV news channels, newspapers and online forums are awash with stories suggesting that ALL is bleak in Zimbabwe and that the businesses have no hope of survival if things do not change and change quick that is. The economy is in tatters and inflation rumoured to be in the billions of percent. I have heard of hyper-inflation but I am sure this is beyond hyper and they need to come with a new phrase to describe this sort of inflation.

To put it in everyday language consider this, you walk into your local Tesco, Asda or Morrisons supermarket at 10am. At exactly 10am you notice that bread and butter will cost you £1 at 50p each. You walk to the bread section and look for the loaf you want only to notice that it's gone up to 53p! You pick up your pace to collect the butter which now costs 56p! You realize what's going on and now sprint to the checkout while your money has any value left in it, or else. You negotiate your way around the teenager that looks too young to be a mum, but has three kids anyway, you argue with the guy that claims he was there first and you spend another minute or so explaining to the checkout girl, with freckles and an attitude, that it really was your turn and you honestly did not cut in front of anyone else and you should be served. She blows her gum into a bubble and explodes it annoyingly too loud but she goes ahead and serves you anyway. Total shopping time 7 minutes.  

EXCUSE ME????? HOW MUCH???? £1.37 !!!!????!!! WHAT???? OFF COURSE I'M YELLING IT WAS £1 SEVEN MINUTES AGO!!

That my friends, my pals, my buds, my mates; is called inflation in the billions of percent! Never heard of in the western world. And no, you will not get any state or government help. You have to work for this money yourself Baba. There is no dole or sign-on cushion for us ordinary Zimbabweans. But as a nation with bright energetic and enterprising people we improvise and adapt to this. We have to make it work ASAP. 

They have talked about the unity government making things better but there is no telling if there will be lasting benefits from it. From last count there were between 3 - 5 million Zimbabweans living in the so called diaspora in Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and good old Harare North, some people call it London, England.

So...With over 3 million Zimbabweans abroad in the so called diaspora and the Zimbabwean economy in tatters, Zimbabwe businesses are now using the Internet to connect with this International community to gain VERY valuable contacts and sales. One example is a  Zimbabwean online shopping business based in Harare that sells generators, wells and boreholes to the diaspora who want to take care of their relatives back home. Zimbabweans use such online businesses to buy things from abroad and to get them delivered or installed in Zimbabwe. This company can be found at http://www.express2zim.com/ but they are only one of many players fighting for the buying power of Zimbabweans abroad. You see the finances here are huge. If we say there is exactly 3 million Zimbabweans abroad and they each send £1 per year that's £3million sent per year, and the associated commerce that comes with this money in extra services. OK let's not be silly and say they each send £100 per year which makes it £300 million. How about £100 each per month? You get the picture.

The indigenous business man in Harare is now better off setting up a website. Get your domain name, website design and search engine marketing service that comes with it and the website hosting to compete on this stage. In fact the Zimbabwean Online shopping businesses are under represented online to the extent that ordinary Zimbabweans abroad are so frustrated by the lack of results returned when they search for things like generators for sale in Zimbabwe, wells and boreholes for sale in Zimbabwe, grinding mills for sale in Zimbabwe or even a minibus for hire in Harare, Zimbabwe. Google just does not return enough relevant results which leaves a gap for the local Zimbabwean business man to get online and start offering services to people searching for them and people that can pay for them, remember the £300 million? What if it's over £1 billion per year?

It is not expensive at all to get started. From only £99 one can get online using a brochure site and get it well optimized for search engines to capture Google traffic and start selling abroad. Website hosting would only be another £50 per year, your domain name around £10 - 20 and so for well under £200 basic expenses can be covered for the year and one starts doing their business activities online. For those not quite ready yet there are FREE online business directories focused on Zimbabwe businesses in the same way that the Yellow pages operate. One such example is a FREE Zimbabwe business directory found at http://www.zimswap.com/ . It's free to add your business and up to 10 pictures and start putting your wares in the shop window as it were. For more info on how to use the Internet to get your Zimbabwean business abroad contact Jax Internet in Glasgow which is Zimbabwean owned as well to help you out.