Our Highs, Lows and Goals for 2021
2020 was a year of unprecedented changes from working to living standards – a year of nonstop pivoting to meet one’s needs. We would like to take a moment to reflect on the year, its highlights and milestones, lows and lessons and what we have planned for the new year.
Looking back on an entire year of one’s professional life is difficult, but when you consider everything that 2020 threw at us, where do you even start? Forget just surviving the professional aspect of 2020, we all deserve a medal, both literally and figuratively, for surviving it. Nonetheless, we as a company begin a new tradition – reviewing the year that was and the goals we’ve set for this year; you know, celebrate our successes and work towards getting better – what we like to call Version Reloaded.
Biggest Moments and Milestones of 2020…
One of our key goals for 2020 was to increase customer reach. We re-
launched our operations in Rwanda and begun in Uganda. We
prioritised and invested in setting up shop in the new markets.
In addition, we planned to launch a seamless shopping experience through our products. This was quite a success if we do say so ourselves. We introduced the Lipa Later Online Shop which is an online marketplace that allows you to access our retail partner stores, all on one platform. To top it all off, there are a variety of payment options to choose from; monthly installments with Lipa Later, or cash (Card, M-PESA, and payment upon delivery). Same day delivery is also available. If you are yet to check it out, just click here.
The Team later on partnered with Maureen Waititu as our Brand Partner and launched various successful campaigns such as the Maisha 100 Campaign for the fourth quarter of 2020. Our focus being to show our audience that you can live comfortably and achieve the most difference with the little you have using Lipa Later.
Our giveaway involved doing a Mini Home Makeover for single mothers who were struggling to make ends meet. This was a project very close to us and we really felt a need to give back to the community especially after what the year threw at everyone.
To crown our year, we had our Annual Themed End Year Party – LipaChella. This can only be recapped through photos. See below…
Lowest Moments of 2020 & Lessons Learnt
Between March-September 2020, we had to adjust quite a bit due to COVID-19 regulations. We did however learn that the show goes on even when we began working remotely.
Looking ahead to 2021?
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that plans can be fragile, and you can’t tie too much emotion and hope to them. Being flexible is more than just a skill, it’s a necessity, and we don’t think we would have got through 2020 without it. Going into 2021, we have so much in store beginning with product growth- Improve on the look and feel of our Web App, the Lipa Later Online Shop, Revamp of our Mobile Apps, to mention a few! This will be done to improve our customer User-Experience while interacting with our product.
Among other plans are to begin operations in Nigeria and have official launch celebrations in Uganda and Nigeria. We can’t wait. Yaaaaayyyy! Something else that is in the works is to implement Machine Learning within the business and be more scientifically informed in all we do. This will help us to deeply understand our customers so as to create tailored experiences, streamlined processes and create memorable customer experiences.
Now, what remains is…
To say thank you. Thank you to all our Customers, Investors, Partners, and Teammates for playing a big part in the year that was. We look forward to what 2021 has in store for us all.
So there you have it; the best of our 2020 and what we are looking forward to this year. We’ll keep them coming in 2021, but until then please feel free to suggest to us any topics you may want to read.
We’d love to hear your input!
What was 2020 like for you? And do you have any plans for 2021?
Let us know in the comments!
