As mobile and social commerce in Nigeria surges, accounting for over 70% of online transactions and expected to reach $20 billion by 2025, 440 Technology Limited is making significant strides in transforming the market.
This AI-powered shopping aggregator is revolutionizing how Nigerian consumers and retailers discover and purchase products globally, addressing several critical challenges faced by merchants and small businesses.
•Members of 440 team
Nigerian merchants have long struggled with the inefficiencies of navigating multiple international platforms to find the best products at competitive prices.
Gracious Akande, CEO of 440 Technology, highlighted the cumbersome process: “Our merchants were spending countless hours navigating through platforms like Alibaba, Shein, Amazon, and Aliexpress. This often required downloading and using numerous apps, making the process cumbersome and time-consuming.” This logistical nightmare was further compounded by the complexities of international payments. Merchants frequently needed to source foreign currencies like dollars, yuan, and rupees while grappling with unpredictable exchange rates. Akande added, “Merchants were constantly scrambling for different currencies to pay for their products, contending with speculative exchange rates.”
To address these significant challenges, 440 Technology developed a comprehensive mobile app that aggregates data from over 10,000 international stores spanning more than 100 countries. This platform provides users access to over 100,000 daily deals and discounts, streamlined through advanced API integration and an AI engine designed for real-time price discovery and comparison.
Elijah Ogunle, COO of 440 Technology, explained their unique approach: “We don’t aim to compete with global e-commerce giants. Instead, we bring every marketplace together on one platform.” This unified approach simplifies the shopping experience, enabling users to interact with a single app to shop from a multitude of sources, including Alibaba, Flipkart, Shein, Instagram, eBay, and Jumia.
One of the standout features of 440’s platform is its ability to facilitate payments in local currencies. This innovation eliminates a significant barrier for many Nigerian consumers and retailers, who previously had to deal with multiple currencies and fluctuating exchange rates. The platform’s intelligent curation ensures that users are consistently presented with relevant and affordable options tailored to their preferences. Moreover, 440 Technology has found that 89% of their customers appreciate being notified when deals in their preferred product categories appear. They also benefit from connections to affordable logistics services for delivery, further enhancing the platform’s utility.
Looking ahead, 440 Technology aims to scale its operations globally, with a particular focus on the African diaspora. Beginning in Q3, the company plans to launch a selective diaspora rollout. Akande explains, “Nigerians abroad are requesting orders from merchants back home in a trusted, digital, and hassle-free manner. We believe we can be that platform that simplifies the commerce experience for Africans globally.” This strategic move aims to cater to the needs of Nigerians living abroad who wish to purchase products from their homeland in a seamless and reliable manner.
440 Technology Limited is a pioneering shopping aggregator that connects Africans to millions of products, deals, merchants, and payment opportunities across over 100 countries.
Their platform, accessible on the Playstore and Appstore, is poised to become an indispensable tool for Nigerian shoppers and merchants, fostering economic growth and streamlining global commerce.
As 440 Technology continues to innovate and expand, it stands as a beacon of technological advancement in the Nigerian e-commerce landscape, setting new standards for convenience and efficiency in global shopping.
440 Technology Limited is addressing critical market inefficiencies by providing a comprehensive, AI-powered platform that simplifies the global shopping experience for Nigerian consumers and retailers. By facilitating local currency payments and integrating a vast array of international stores into one user-friendly app, 440 Technology is poised to make a lasting impact on the Nigerian e-commerce market and beyond.