{"id":35529,"date":"2021-02-25T22:10:04","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T20:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/?p=35529"},"modified":"2021-02-25T18:09:15","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T16:09:15","slug":"social-media-helps-businesses-keep-afloat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/social-media-helps-businesses-keep-afloat","title":{"rendered":"Social Media Helps Businesses Keep Afloat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press<\/a> – Zimbabwe<\/a>. <\/strong><\/span>Anadolu Agency<\/b> – AS the Covid-19 pandemic keeps closing down businesses and leaving people jobless, new survival strategies in Zimbabwe are offering a silver lining.<\/p>\n

Solomon Gumunyu owns Kitchen Boutique, a business venture, in the capital Harare. But due to lockdown restrictions, his shop is closed.<\/p>\n

But with social media came the boon for the 32-year-old. Having switched to Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp, Gumunyu said he is surprised to see his business performing even better.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial media marketing has enabled me to drive up my sales,\u201d he told Anadolu Agency. \u201cIn fact, double my sales.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gumunyu said his customer base has grown substantially, but \u201cthe only challenge he has faced is related to the delivery of the products.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has actually made me reach a wider audience than just having physical premises,\u201d he added. \u201cI have managed to interact and sell our products across Harare.\u201d<\/p>\n

He uses the apps to market his products, and meet his customers on appointment.<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe first introduced a tough lockdown in March 2020 but had gradually eased the restrictions.<\/p>\n

This year, month-long restrictions were imposed in early January, and later twice extended until at least March 1. A nationwide 8 pm. to 6 am curfew is enforced, and non-essential businesses closed.<\/p>\n

Social gatherings are also banned, affecting Trymore Mudzipurwa, 31, who hires out entertainment equipment and is also a DJ.<\/p>\n

But he said that many people reached out to him during the lockdown through the internet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always updating my followers on how I will be operating after the lockdown,\u201d he told Anadolu Agency. \u201cMany have already booked me, and made pre-payments for events planned once the restrictions are over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, social media provided Bridget Mudota, who is based in Harare\u2019s posh Gletwyn area, a new opportunity to keep her business stay afloat.<\/p>\n

The 49-year-old is selling jewelry items such as necklaces, earrings, bracelets, headbands, and anklets for the last four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cLockdown has hit our jewelry project badly, but thanks to social media, we have been able to remain afloat. We have had to adapt quickly to the \u2018new normal\u2019 of using various social media channels to advertise our services to an even wider range of customers than before,\u201d she told Anadolu Agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the lockdowns, the sales were less as the target reach was narrower. Social media advertising has enabled us to reach a wider market, hence almost a 20% rise in sales.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media not cheap<\/b><\/p>\n

But for many independent entrepreneurs, as well as customers, social media has not come cheap.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cost of data is of great concern for most of our customers. With WhatsApp, we use a combination of text messages, voice notes, short videos, and images,\u201d said Mudota.<\/p>\n

Forty-one-year-old Retsepile Sithoboli, who trades in imported shoes in Harare, expressed similar apprehensions.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to this pandemic, business is a bit slow. During this period, l purchased my products online and used social media to advertise, market, and sell the products,\u201d Sithoboli told Anadolu Agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of data is needed, and I\u2019m supposed to always be online to attend to clients. Another issue is frequent power cuts, meaning sometimes my phones are out of battery. Some clients are not patient once I go offline and they look for other options.\u201d<\/p>\n

In terms of affordability, Zimbabwe ranks 99th on the Inclusive Internet Index 2020.<\/p>\n

The report said that the Southern African country has suffered from years of under-investment in its communications infrastructure, making it difficult to achieve progress in extending the internet and its benefits widely to the population. \u201c\u2026 high data costs relative to incomes are arguably the most debilitating\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Govt backs social media use<\/b><\/p>\n

Though businessmen, at times, violate coronavirus regulations by meeting the clients they connect with via social media, the Zimbabwean government backs innovations to counter the negative impact of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe use of social media for businesses has greatly increased as part of Zimbabwe\u2019s adaptation to the \u2018new normal\u2019 and we welcome this innovative use by the nation,\u201d Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa told Anadolu Agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government will continue to strive to ensure that it provides an environment for businesses to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, she asked Zimbabweans from all walks of life to practice social distancing, and limit face-to-face meetings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Anadolu Agency – AS the Covid-19 pandemic keeps closing down businesses and leaving people jobless, new survival strategies in Zimbabwe are offering a silver lining. Solomon Gumunyu owns Kitchen Boutique, a business venture, in the capital Harare. But due to lockdown restrictions, his shop is closed. But with social media came the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":35528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,35,15],"tags":[1493,2189,19],"class_list":["post-35529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","category-homepage-english","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zimbabwe-2","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nSocial Media Helps Businesses Keep Afloat - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anadolu Agency - AS the Covid-19 pandemic keeps closing down businesses and leaving people jobless, new survival ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/social-media-helps-businesses-keep-afloat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Social Media Helps Businesses Keep Afloat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Anadolu Agency - 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