Business Name: Fola Imports
Founder & CEO: Folake Ayoola (Fola)
Industry: Fashion & Lifestyle Imports
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Contact: business@nile.ng
Background:
Fola Imports began as a small fashion and accessories business that sourced items from Turkey and the UK. Fola operated mainly through Instagram and WhatsApp, managing orders manually and using screenshots to track payments. Inventory was maintained in handwritten notebooks, and delivery coordination required frequent calls to dispatch riders.
Challenges:
- Manual order management led to frequent errors and missed orders
- Difficulty in tracking stock levels, leading to overselling or dead stock
- Payment reconciliation was slow and often inaccurate
- No dedicated storefront for professional online shopping
- Poor delivery coordination, causing customer frustration
How Nile Helped:
- Storefront Setup: Fola Imports launched an online storefront via Nile in under 72 hours, customized with product categories, size options, and delivery preferences.
- Inventory Management: Nile provided a centralized dashboard to upload all inventory, track stock movements, and set restock alerts.
- Payment Integration: Integrated with Paystack and Nile’s payment system to allow seamless card and transfer payments, all tracked in real-time.
- Logistics: Enabled same-day dispatch through linked courier services like GIG and Kwik Delivery directly within the Nile platform.
- Reports & Insights: Weekly sales reports and daily transaction summaries helped improve decision-making and reduce financial errors.
Results After 90 Days:
- 2.5x increase in monthly sales
- 0 inventory errors
- 40% reduction in customer complaints related to order mix-ups
- 80% drop in missed deliveries
- 100% of payments now automatically reconciled
Testimonial:
“Nile helped me turn my hustle into a real business. I’m now able to focus on sourcing and marketing because the backend runs smoothly.” — Fola, CEO, Fola Imports