Media personality Caroline Mutoko and Twiva on Thursday, September 15, announced a partnership that will be beneficial to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The partnership will see MSMEs trained on how to effectively gain access to markets online.
The first initiative will be a series of weekly masterclasses dubbed, “Empowering MSMEs Masterclass with Caroline Mutoko” with topics ranging from:
• Why every business must have an online presence
• Where and how to get your business seen online
• The psychology behind creating amazing online content
• Creating an exceptional customer experience online
The masterclasses will air every Tuesday, with the first one on 20th September 2022, and will be accessible on Twiva.com as well as on social media.
Caroline and Twiva embarked on this partnership following a critical assessment of the current challenges Kenyan MSMEs face when trying to build a sustainable and profitable online presence.
Kenyan MSMEs make up at least 7.4 million, accounting for over 24% of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). E-commerce adoption among MSMEs has grown by over 24% since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2021 study by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic occasioned a spike in business-to-consumers (B2C) online sales and an increase in Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce.
Consequently, this caused an increase in the rate of online consumption by 79% in 2021 as reported by the Mastercard Foundation.
Even with these notable strides in e-commerce uptake, MSMEs still lack sophisticated digital access to consumers online due to inadequate digital marketing skills.
Moreover, MSMEs lack simplified and accessible digital platforms like Twiva which offer payment gateways and a streamlined path to purchase on online platforms, especially on social media.
Caroline Mutoko, who has had a sturdy, over two-decades-long career in the Media industry coupled with a profound passion to empower small businesses, understands all too well the subtle and glaring mistakes MSMEs make online.
Twiva is a social commerce platform that helps MSMEs market and sell their goods and services online using strategic social media influencers and resellers.
Twiva creates dignified digital jobs for influencers (also referred to as online resellers) who can start online businesses at zero cost through leveraging the platform. Influencers are skilled in digital marketing skills and thus understand how to effectively market and sell online.
Additionally, influencers enjoy a substantial level of trust online compared to MSMEs, making it easier for them to close significant sales.
The company has registered thousands of MSMEs and influencers, making this partnership strategically positioned to help MSMEs raise awareness, increase sales and scale online.
“If I cannot click on it, it does not exist. And when you finally get online, remember that you are only one swipe away from losing the attention of your consumer. This is why content is king and video is king Kong,” says Mutoko.
"It is such a pleasure to partner with Caroline Mutoko, who shares the same passion, and vision of empowering MSMEs so that they can scale and create more jobs for the youth," Peter N. Kironji, Twiva CEO.
The free Masterclasses with Caroline Mutoko, content packages, and weekly highlights aim to target and impact 15,000 Kenyan MSMEs. You can get free access to the Masterclasses with Caroline Mutoko here.