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If you’ve ever balked at the long line at Shoprite’s checkout counters, you’ll find Primecart.ng interesting.

The product is “putting Shoprite online”; giving shoppers the option to access Shoprite’s inventory via their computer the same way they’ll shop on any e-commerce website, like Jumia or Konga.

After the shopper has picked items online, Primecart deploys personal shoppers to pick orders off the shelf at a Shoprite outlet.

Pretty simple solution, but it’s nothing new; Gloo and Supermart run similar models. What’s more significant is Primecart’s fulfil choice and the lead time on delivery. Shoppers will have “their orders delivered via Uber in as little as one hour,” Abiola Samuel, Primecart developer, told TechCabal.

The one hour fulfil time is a long shot; the personal shoppers will still cue like the rest of us. But on the logistics side, one hour fulfillment looks quite feasible. I imagine Primecart is going to be hyperlocal in the way orders are fulfilled. Which means, orders will be processed from the Shoprite closest to the shopper and well, a Uber can simply be hailed after the personal shopper is done processing orders.

Of course, a better delivery model could be dispatch riders, but I see what Primecart is going for here; present a luxury brand. Delivery, UberRush-style is simply the most affordable way to do that.

There is a concern however. There is no signed partnership with Shoprite (Primecart says just as much in its T and C), so Shoprite could easily set up an online shopping outpost as well, just as Mr. Price (MRP) did a few years back.

But the numbers are looking good for Primecart as of now. According to Abiola, if 1% of the 200,000 who shop weekly at Shoprite outlets in Lagos use Primecart, they could easily lock down $2 million in revenue in one year.

The startup is still collecting emails for now and will launch come January 2016. Samuel tells us they have up to $20,000 (N2 million) in funding. In the end, execution will be the killer app here.

Gbenga Onalaja Author

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