CBZ recently launched what they are calling the CBZ Ziki Mall. They describe it as a one-stop online destination for bill payments, groceries, hardware, accommodation, and more.
The proposition is simple to understand—rather than visiting multiple websites and platforms to shop for what you need, what if you could do all your shopping on one platform?
I suppose that’s why they call it a digital mall—a complex that houses a variety of businesses within one space. I think we can agree that this can be convenient. However, as experience tells us, a mall is only as good as the businesses it houses.
You could have a world-class building, something akin to the Burj Khalifa, but if the offices within it are mostly empty or occupied by counterfeit product traders, it won’t succeed.
The CBZ Ziki Mall is just starting out, so it’s mostly empty for now. Navigating the website makes it seem even emptier due to a few navigation decisions.
For example, on the Property tab on the home page, there are a few apartments listed. However, when you click on the “Apartments” button to view the full list in the directory, none appear. This can’t be the case, as at least three are visible on the home page. So, the directory doesn’t necessarily display everything the mall offers. Further exploration of the Property category reveals even more properties, which can be a bit confusing.
Nevertheless, the few businesses currently occupying its digital offices are legitimate. For instance, Fusertech is selling electronics, and Webdev is offering email hosting. These are reputable businesses we know.
As for digital payments, they work as expected. You can pay school fees, buy electricity, pay bills, and, of course, purchase airtime.
During my testing, I found I couldn’t purchase ZWG airtime. It displayed, “Service Unavailable – We are currently undergoing maintenance and will be back soon…” I believe this is due to recent tariff adjustments by mobile network operators, and CBZ is working on it.
What to say about Ziki Mall
We could discuss how some vendors offer free shipping or mention the 1% service charge on purchases.
It seems CBZ had to strike deals with some vendors, which is why you’ll find CBZ listed as a vendor for products they don’t typically sell. For example, CBZ Mortgage Finance is vending gas stoves and shipping them out—if you can believe it.
We could also talk about the payment options. You can use either Zimswitch cards or Visa/Mastercard to make payments.
It’s curious that there is no cash-on-delivery option, as most other e-commerce platforms in the country have adopted this to address the persistent lack of trust in online commerce. But perhaps CBZ believes that having their name on Ziki Mall will inspire confidence.
Even if that’s the case, the challenge of many Zimbabweans living in a cash-based economy remains. Customers of the so-called National Mattress Bank have their savings in cash, and it would be a tall order to ask them to deposit that money to shop on Ziki.
I like the idea of Ziki Mall, but I know that building a platform like this is difficult. There’s always the chicken-and-egg problem. Users won’t visit the site if there aren’t enough interesting businesses, and businesses won’t list their products if there are no users.
So, while I like the design for the most part, I’m unsure if that’s enough to attract users. Most Zimbabweans seem content with conducting all their online activity within social media apps.
That said, e-commerce is steadily growing in the country. What started with mostly Facebook Marketplace activity may now be expanding to dedicated e-commerce platforms. At least, that’s the hope for Ziki.
What say you?
Have you explored Ziki Mall? If so, what are your thoughts?
I’m curious to hear where people stand on the super-app/online marketplace concept. Do you appreciate the convenience of being able to purchase a million-dollar house on the same platform where you buy WhatsApp bundles and adult diapers?
You can’t deny that having such a one-stop shop is convenient, but does listing a pork head cheapen the experience of shopping for a million-dollar house?
It’s convenient, though.
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