MarketForce scales operation into multiple markets with a single KYC integration
MarketForce at a glance
Use case
Compliance across multiple markets
Industry
E-commerce
Countries of operation
Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda
Outcomes
- 10 milliseconds
- Onboarding time
- 96%
- ID matching accuracy
Watch MarketForce Grow: 5 new markets, 1 KYC provider
About MarketForce
MarketForce, a company that initially developed a product to support businesses with large field sales teams, has undergone a significant transformation. Originally designed to enable real-time tracking of sales activities, the company soon recognised a greater demand in the FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) industry for tools that could offer comprehensive visibility into sales performance and overall business operations.
Imagine MarketForce as a super app meticulously crafted for retail merchants, equipping them with essential tools to optimise their daily operations. At the heart of their offerings lies the ability for merchants to place real-time orders and receive deliveries within 24 hours. Yet, MarketForce goes beyond this fundamental service. They've seamlessly integrated financial tools such as "buy now, pay later" and actively assist merchants in diversifying their product offerings, including airtime, power tokens, water tokens, and insurance, creating an additional revenue stream for their businesses.
MarketForce currently operates in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania, with aspirations to expand to more countries. However, one of their biggest challenges in this expansion journey is adapting their processes to suit the unique characteristics of each market they enter.
Challenges with expansion
When MarketForce embarked on its journey to expand its services to several African countries, it faced a few considerable challenges.
MarketForce needed to verify partners in every country they expanded into and plan for future scale, however, they did not want to integrate with many vendors. They worried that added integration could potentially impact reliability, expose them to increased fraud risks, and add complexity to their product.
Many merchants in their markets have experienced fraud through offering online services or accepting mobile money payments. This has made them especially cautious about what apps they install on their devices or what entities they trust to handle their transactions. MarketForce needed to build trust with sceptical e-commerce merchants who have been burned by online services in the past.
Addressing these challenges required an effective solution with an ID verification partner they could trust as they expanded their services across Africa
Working with local merchants
MarketForce has adopted a unique approach to verification, recognising that for the vast majority of their primary target audience (small shop owners), the distinction between the business and the individual is minimal. In many cases, such as with small kiosk owners or "duka" operators, their business operations are intricately woven into their personal lives. Often, their personal and business finances overlap significantly.
Failing to verify the individual equates to failing to verify the business itself. MarketForce understands this deep connection and interdependence and has deliberately chosen to verify business owners as individuals.
In their quest for a verification partner, MarketForce sought a solution to verify businesses and individuals within a single platform seamlessly. This strategic decision was pivotal because it aligned with the reality of their target audience's unique circumstances. Partnering with a verification partner capable of offering comprehensive services for businesses and individuals was essential to ensure the accuracy and reliability of their verification processes.
Partnering with Smile ID
Smile ID's Biometric KYC solution has proven invaluable in MarketForce's expansion journey across diverse African markets. Through a single API, they can now reliably access government data in each country they operate. They can also access both business and individual databases within the same API, so every merchant they encounter can onboard seamlessly.
Smile ID has played a pivotal role in verifying users and thwarting fraud attempts within MarketForce's "Buy now, pay later" service. This added layer of security has been instrumental in ensuring the integrity of their financial services and building trust with local merchants. Their users now confidently use MarketForce for all types of transactions knowing their products and money are well-protected and they are working with verified users.
Video snippets
How MarketForce benefits from Smile ID's single integration
MarketForce verifies merchants in sub ten milliseconds using Smile ID
How MarketForce uses Smile ID to run its Buy Now Pay Later services
“Smile ID has been an invaluable partner in our expansion across the diverse African markets. Unlike a unified country like the United States with 50 states, the African continent is highly fragmented. Each country has its own unique data, regulations, and operating environment. So, partnering with Smile ID, which offers a depth of data and API integration capabilities in each country we operate in, has been a game-changer.”