Tengesai, a free classified directory to sell goods and services online

Some might argue that e-commerce has not taken off in Zimbabwe (in the traditional sense), or it can’t really be tracked because it happening in one shape or another on WhatsApp. Both arguments have their merits because data prices have made it difficult for everyone to participate in e-commerce. And WhatsApp is a bit of a black hole when it comes to gathering data on the transactions that are occurring or originating on it. However, this hasn’t stopped Zimbabwe’s entrepreneurs from creating online platforms for traders to advertise their wares. One such platform in the emerging boom of e-commerce sites is a free classified directory called Tengesai.

Tengesai, allows anyone to advertise their goods and services online at no charge. On top of that, it offers a free business directory that you can list your company profile and operating hours to help with discovery. Additionally, you can apply to become a vendor on Tengesai to sell your products and services directly through the website.

For those who want to bump up their advert, Tengesai has some paid options depending on what you are looking for:

• Move to Top, cost US$2.00, pushes your to the top position in search results
• Mark as Premium starts from $0.90 cents. Makes your listing unique on the Tengesai home and search page
• Highlight Item starts from $0.90. Your listing will apparently be more visible to more people on the page
• Auto-Republish $0.90 per hour, makes it so that your listing can be renewed multiple times at selected intervals.

Tengesai already has a social media presence with over 33,000 members on its Facebook page and more than 500 active WhatsApp groups. According to the folks at Tengesai, there are already 3,000 users on their website.

From what I can see this is an interesting platform. The fact they have a free offer means that they understand how difficult it is to operate in Zimbabwe. There aren’t that many businesses that can readily pay for the added exposure be it on Tengesai or on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram.

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