Earlier this year Google introduced a suite of SMS services that brought things like search and electronic market places to the mobile devices so common to East Africa. Last week, in addition to their massive Geospatial technology conference, Google announced that they were launching a web platform for one of those products…Google Trader.
Essentially, Google Trader is an online marketplace like we’ve seen a thousand of before; a place people can visit to search for, buy and sell all sorts of goods and services. When the new product was debuted in Uganda last Summer, users could only send SMS messages with certain commands (e.g. REGISTER or BUY) from their mobile phones to trade on the platform. Still available only in English and still completely free, Ugandans can now visit the custom Google Trader marketplace on the web to search for and trade products and services like crops, cars, electronics or jobs straight from their computers.
With the Web version, users get a bit more functionality, such as the ability to search for multiple items at once and to include photos and more detailed information about the products or services they’re selling.
Like the blog post announcing the new browser-based version of Google Trader says, the service is meant to provide African people with greater access to new markets and trade opportunities.
Read the rest at TechCrunch…
About the author: Jonathan Gosier is a UI designer, software developer and writer. He currently lives in Kampala, Uganda where he incubates and invests in East African entrepreneurs as the CEO of Appfrica Labs. He's also a TED Fellow.
