Startup Story
Being laser-focused on making shopping for children easier for busy parents was the inspiration to start a business for Aramide Ajayi, founder of Futureshoppers in Nigeria. Today, her e-commerce platform is a one stop shop for children’s products.
LoA chatted to founder Aramide this month to find out more….
What does your company do?
Futureshoppers is a Nigerian e-commerce, multi-vendor marketplace for children's products. It is a single online platform where merchants for children's products come together to display, connect and sell their products to customers looking to buy a range of products geared towards children, parents and guardians. We offer a range of quality children's products through the management of the online marketplace.
Our product categories include: Clothing, Toys, Back to School, Party Supplies, Personal care items, Interior and Bedding, and Baby Shop.
“Unlike most marketplaces which cater to various markets, Futureshoppers is an online marketplace that caters to a niche market - the children's market.”
“Futureshoppers helps parents to compare and purchase from a wide range of products in terms of quality and prices, across several merchants from the comfort of their homes and offices.”
What inspired you to start your company?
My Inspiration comes from 3 angles:
My passion for children and anything related to them. For 2 years now, I have been running a personal cause at Christmas - ''For the Love of Christmas”; we have been visiting the streets or very remote areas to give footwear to the less privileged kids, with money contributed by friends and family. In total, we have given shoes to over 300 children, and fed over a thousand.
I have sisters, one of them a single mom, and she is mostly overwhelmed with her regular day job, side business and school runs, that most times she forgets to get school requirements, leaving shopping till the last minute. We then both start combing the whole of Lagos looking for the said items, most especially specific costumes. And it came to me that if there was a hub where one can access thousands of children’s products, then it will reduce the workload on parents. So, I will say, the need to help parents was my inspiration, most especially working-class moms; hence our tagline- "...parenting made easier" .
My general desire to support women owned SMEs
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Unlike most marketplaces which cater to various markets, Futureshoppers is an online marketplace that caters to a niche market - the children's market. This helps us to tailor our processes and communications specifically to giving our customers maximum attention and satisfaction. Futureshoppers helps parents to compare and purchase from a wide range of products in terms of quality and prices, across several merchants from the comfort of their homes and offices.
Tell us a little about your team
We are a team of people who are qualified, honest, customer centric and are ready to work to help build a prosperous business that will benefit all stakeholders (the owners, the vendors, workforce & customers).
Our team comprises of 4 people:
1. The digital marketer who pushes all our online and offline communications to our target audiences.
2. Our customer care executive who responds to inquiries, and also takes care of operations.
3. The dispatch rider who delivers our items to our customers.
4. Me, I oversee all aspects of the business.
“Futureshoppers is a brand that is being built on a platform of dreams, passion, determination, and a desire to bring about positive change and growth to the Nigerian children’s market.”
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I started my career path as a sales executive in the automobile industry, first Toyota and then, Nissan. I never imagined that I would be an entrepreneur, I always wanted to be a career woman. But after a few years working at Nissan, I had an encounter with a very skilled tailor friend of mine, who had been doing well for herself until she had to move with her family to their own house in one of the Lagos suburbs. Even though she had a lot to offer in terms of skills, the location restricted her, and it became hard for her to push her products to the right people. So, obviously, business became very slow. At this point, I also wanted more from life, and I wanted to make my mark in the world. To achieve this, I had to branch out from the regular 9-5.
I have a certification in Communications and Marketing from CIM,UK, and I had to find a way to merge that knowledge into the children’s product and market sector. I also applied to the Tony Elumelu Foundation, where I got accepted and took the 3 months’ entrepreneurial program. It has taken me about a year to do my research and put things in place, and we have recently just started operations and I must say, it hasn't been a walk in the park. But, I believe that with consistency, hard work and persistence, I will definitely achieve my vision.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
Futureshoppers is a brand that is being built on a platform of dreams, passion, determination, and a desire to bring about positive change and growth to the Nigerian children’s market. We plan to make an overwhelming impact in the sector by expanding into the development of children’s fashion runway shows, summer boot camps and events, education, positive cause campaigns, trade shows, charity organizations etc.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
When the next big positive growth in the children-focused marketplace in Nigeria and then subsequently Africa happens, I will be the woman behind it all.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Being an entrepreneur is like having one's first baby. You have an idea of the child you want to bring up but the process of birthing, nurturing, training, sleepless nights, loving, dedication, providing, can be unpredictable. Sometimes, you question yourself if you are doing the right thing. But once you get the hang of it, it gets easier. Same for being an entrepreneur, the initial phase of a start-up can be discouraging, but if you are passionate about your line of business, and you believe in your vision and you are willing to put in the dedication, hard work, persistence and consistency, the reward is always beautiful.
Contact or follow Futureshoppers
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL ceo@futureshoppers.com.ng
Why LoA loves it….
At Lionesses of Africa, we love hearing the startup stories of women entrepreneurs who have big dreams and a big vision of what they want to achieve in life and business. So it’s great to share Aramide Ajayi’s story and her vision of building an e-commerce marketplace which is children focused. As more and more people turn to online shopping platforms for convenience, Aramide is positioning herself and her digital marketplace to be a go-to place for quality children’s products. This is definitely a woman entrepreneur to watch this year as her business grows. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa