Precious Adesina-Ola is the Head of Merchant Acquisition and Success at Sendy Fulfilment Nigeria. In this interview with The Guardian, she discussed how understanding customer needs, using data, and offering innovative solutions helps in user acquisition and retention in Nigeria’s logistics industry. She also discussed how digital marketing and a smooth onboarding process have contributed to Sendy’s success and shared her plans for its future.

Can you walk us through how understanding your audience played a critical role in acquiring and retaining users at Sendy Fulfilment?
Understanding our audience was foundational to our success at Sendy Fulfilment. We focused on identifying the pain points of small and medium-sized businesses, which often struggle with costly and inefficient logistics solutions.

By pinpointing their needs—such as reliable, affordable, and tech-driven delivery—we were able to tailor our services. We segmented our audience, from small retailers to larger distributors, and aligned our communication and service offerings to directly address their challenges. This laser focus on customer needs enabled us to build trust, foster loyalty, and ensure retention.

What specific value proposition did you define at Sendy Fulfilment that helped distinguish your product in a competitive logistics market?
At Sendy Fulfilment, our key value proposition is that businesses can “Do more” with Sendy! From Warehousing to picking and packing to shipping and delivery at a cost-effective rate.
We offer businesses, especially small retailers, the ability to store, manage, and distribute their goods through a single, easy-to-use platform with a transparent, flat-rate pricing model of 15 per cent on the product cost.

This removes the uncertainty and high costs often associated with logistics in Nigeria. Our tech-driven approach, combined with reliable on-time delivery, allowed us to stand out in a market where reliability and affordability are major concerns.

Which digital marketing channels did you find most effective for reaching and acquiring users at Sendy, and how did you utilise them?
We found Instagram and Facebook to be the most effective platforms for reaching our target B2C audience. Instagram allowed us to engage with decision-makers in the logistics and retail sectors, while Facebook gave us access to a broad network of small businesses looking for affordable fulfilment solutions.

We ran targeted campaigns that highlighted our value proposition and showcased customer success stories, which resonated with potential users. Additionally, Google Ads and SEO were crucial for capturing businesses actively searching for logistics solutions online.

How did Sendy streamline the onboarding process to ensure users stayed engaged after signing up, and what key elements were essential?
At Sendy, we prioritised a seamless onboarding experience by simplifying the process into just a few steps. We integrated interactive guides and personalised support right from the start, ensuring new users could navigate our platform without friction. We also employed in-app tutorials and customer service support to immediately assist users as they explored the platform. The key was removing complexity and making it as intuitive as possible, ensuring that users quickly saw the value of our service and remained engaged.

How did implementing referral programs at Sendy contribute to user acquisition, and what incentives were most successful in driving referrals?
Referral programs were highly effective for us. We incentivized existing users by offering discounts on future services or extending credit on their next fulfilment. This not only encouraged them to refer other businesses but also helped keep them engaged by offering a tangible reward for their loyalty. Since businesses naturally network with one another, especially in logistics and retail, this strategy turned our customers into advocates, organically growing our user base.

In what ways did tracking user behaviour influence product decisions and enhancements at Sendy to improve user retention?
Tracking user behaviour was a critical component of our retention strategy. By using analytics tools, we could monitor which features were being utilised most and where users were dropping off.

For example, if we noticed users hesitating during certain processes, like order management or payment, we refined those touchpoints to enhance usability. This data-driven approach allowed us to continuously optimise the platform, ensuring that our product remained aligned with user expectations, ultimately improving satisfaction and retention.

What role did customer success play in user retention at Sendy, and how did you build a community around your product to foster loyalty?
Customer success was at the heart of our retention strategy. We provided proactive, multi-channel support, including live chat, email, and phone assistance, ensuring users had help whenever needed.
Beyond support, we fostered a sense of community by creating social media groups and hosting webinars where users could share experiences and best practices. This not only built loyalty but also positioned Sendy as a brand that genuinely cared about the success of its users, driving more engagement.

How did regular product updates at Sendy help in retaining users, and what was your approach to communicating these updates effectively?
Regular product updates were essential to keep users engaged. Each time we introduced a new feature, we communicated it through multiple channels—email campaigns, in-app notifications, and even webinars—to ensure our users were aware of the new tools at their disposal.

By consistently showing that the platform was evolving based on user feedback, we demonstrated that Sendy was committed to improving their experience, which helped retain users and reduce churn.

Can you share some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) you tracked at Sendy and how you used them to optimise user acquisition and retention strategies?
At Sendy, we closely monitored KPIs like customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (CLV), churn rate, and engagement levels. By comparing CAC to CLV, we ensured that our marketing efforts were cost-efficient.

Tracking churn rates allowed us to identify points of friction that led to user drop-off, which helped us address those areas quickly. Engagement metrics, such as active users and frequency of use, guided our retention efforts, informing us where to focus product enhancements and customer success initiatives.

How did partnerships and collaborations with other companies contribute to expanding Sendy’s user base and improving user retention?
Partnerships were instrumental in expanding our reach and enhancing our product’s value. We collaborated with complementary services like payment gateways and third-party logistic companies to offer a more comprehensive solution to our users.

These partnerships not only helped us tap into new customer bases but also provided additional value to existing users, making Sendy a more indispensable part of their business operations. This approach was key in both acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones.