Alpha IT Solution

Alpha IT Solution is a technology focused web designing and ecommerce platform development company based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

Recently we have developed and launched an online book store platform called Jafer Books. We are introducing a better book store experience to the nation, while everyone is in its comfort zone and is able to order books using his mobile phone or computer with a 10% discount and we are delivering to them. The platform is the store in your hand. It enables users to be notified and get updates for new books, events and exhibitions.

Our vision is to build the largest online book store ever made in Ethiopia and serve the billions of reader families and authors globally through technology.

We are providing convenient, cost effective online book store which is accessible around the clock 24/7/365 by creating better relationship with readers, authors, and publishers.

Street vending is an important source of income for many poorer segment of the society in the urban area. There are more than 1000 ambulatory youngster mobile book vendor in Addis Ababa, going from one place to the other with books piled up to their necks. These mobile book vendors are also common in smaller towns around Addis. 

In this time of very high youth unemployment in Addis, these youngsters deserve appreciation for a choosing to “live by the sweat of their brows”, instead of opting for easier and more lucrative activities by engaging in criminal activities. Most booksellers are forced to travel the length and breadth of the city not because they like doing it but as a result of adverse circumstances.

This is the problem that lead us to design a platform by which reader can order books online and  ‘mobile book vendors” can delivery to their nearest location, we hope that the fate of the mobile book vendors would improve so that they can survive these economically hard times to see better days. Meanwhile they will keep on working and walking hard to secure their daily bread so that we can have food for our minds.

We are introducing a web based online book store platform by which everyone is able to order books using his mobile phone or computer and the books will be delivered to them.

The platform is the store in your hand. It enables users to be notified and get updates for new books, events and exhibitions, no need to go to store physically or read newspapers or listen to radio.

Our vision is to build the largest online book store ever made in Ethiopia and serve the billions of reader families and authors globally through technology so that no matter how far they are, all community looking for book will successfully get it directly from its source.

If you search for an Amharic book on the search engines, you will land on sites like Amazon, Goodreads or other similar foreign owned book seller sites who sells our products. This led us to design the platform to provide the books from its source.

Readers and buyers can communicate by their own languages with Authors through our platform.

We think BIG, but we started with small. Our Primary Target consumer is the 4.79 Million population living in Addis Ababa. why? because of the high literacy rate and internet penetration. What's next, the 22.2 Million and 44 Million internet and mobile users in Ethiopia respectively. Then the 516 Million Internet users of Africa. Finally the 4 billion population of the world is going to be our happy service users.

The 1000 youth mobile book sellers going from one place to the other with HOPE now they can provide delivery for SURE to their nearest location and we hope that would improve their life so that they can survive these economically hard times to see better days.

In addition we are solving problems that customers don't even know they have. We are creating accessible and affordable environment for the book industry.

Our solution most closely address Book publishers, education stakeholders, libraries, schools, authors, book sellers, book worms, educators, researchers, remote communities, who lacks access to buy books, delivery service providers. 

Book publishers publish the author’s book, we create the content of the book in our platform and make ready for selling. The readers search the book on the provided platform and order online. Through third party delivery service providers and mobile book vendors we deliver the book to the customer location. Also our target population can communicate by their own languages with Authors, publishers and book vendors through the platform.

Since Alpha IT Solution is a technology focused web designing, online store and ecommerce platform development company, we are introducing a better books store experience to the nation as well as to the world with a new marketing plan that is never tried before, through a tech-driven solution while everyone is in its comfort zone.

We use national identity values of the elders and shape, organize and make sense using the technology of the future. We’re able to personalize the book industry through a data-driven, yet, affordable, accessible, and scalable way.

Our Online book store platform is a web based software, having UI/UX at the front end and Database at the back end, intended to solve the problem of the book industry - this use of technology makes us highly scalable and accessible to reach a large number of people.

We are using Amharic language as the language of the platform. So that, peoples can easily interacts and communicate using their own language.

We are also changing the supply chain. In the current market, a book should pass through at least 4 supply chains (publisher->wholesaler->distributor->retailer->street book vendor->reader)  by which each of them add cost to the product. In our model consumers order books online then we deliver for them. publisher->alpha platform->reader. That's how we do.

Some book stores receive orders through mobile phones and provide delivery service for huge amount of books. We are using a platform by which we receive order and provide delivery service for each customer. We record and track the status of each and every book and orders. 

Well, This technology works through out the world, we know amazon is giant in this. this ecommerce or online store is every where in other countries, but it is not tried in our nation.

We configured 179 destinations in the city and started delivering books on 28th of April 2020. We created content for 700 books in 25 categories, 114 users subscribed, 40000+ page views, 40+ orders.

You can watch our live transaction, traffic and traction from Here

Let’s begin by the messages of our couple customers: “Dear sir/madam Thank you for advancing book shoping facilities online in Ethiopia. I have been a regular buyer of books from your shop but i had to come z shop physically. This online facility you introduced is a breakthrough in our context.”

“Thank you very much for being the leading site of this sort.”

Searching and buying books from physical store takes time, even if you get it. You need to check social media networks, newspapers or mass-media to get information for new book releases, exhibitions and events. But through our solution you will be notified and never miss what you need.

Using the data of Global Web Index, as of January 2020, the availability of relevant content and service index in the country is 33.69 out of 100, and only 0.6% of the population makes online purchases and/or pays bills online, but 36.49 out of 100 is the consumer readiness for mobile connectivity index. We are going to shift internet users from social media to his important aspect of life by creating and providing relevant content and services.  

Customers like to buy books constantly from a single bookstore; they don’t even ask another window owned by different seller. This works for almost all book readers including me. I bought books continuously for more than 10 years but only from 3 bookstores. Now we provide a single unified book store where everyone can find and buy from a single store.

Authors, educators and writers will get the chance to advertise and sell their books; in addition they will interact and receive comments, views and ideas directly from their readers.

We are changing the current market supply chain, which in turn results the decrease of the book price; consequently, more readers will get the chance to buy books. With our solution we make books affordable and accessible to everyone within the city, the county side as well as out of the country. Our solution also has a global social impact; peoples will start getting the information of the books from its source.

By creating content of 700 books in 25 categories, configuring 179 destinations in the city of Addis Ababa and by delivering books from 28th of April 2020, there are 135 users with more than 45,000 page views. We have a concrete plan to serve 50,000 active and constant users with in one year. In the coming 5 years by diversifying our content and delivery destinations we will serve 1,500,000 people around the globe.

Our goal within the next year are:

1) Expanding and adding the online store content to reach 8000 books, 

2) Diversifying our product by including DVD's, Educational puzzles, toys and models. 

3) Diversifying our delivery services. Currently we are using Motor bikes. Using Ethiopian postal service and DHL for international delivery service, and street mobile book sellers to deliver their nearest location with in the city.

4) Reach more destinations. 12 selected cities of Ethiopia in addition to Addis Ababa. and 5 selected African countries.

5) Payment gateway Integration. local(Amole) and African(PESA) digital payment gateway to the system.

6) Hire new professionals to the team and organize the working environment.

Our goal for the next five years include:

a) 100,000 book content in store, 

2) 10 new category products other than books, 

3) Integration of international payment gateway and start world wide delivery.

4) Launching an app for the online store.

5) launch of digital ebook and audio book platform.

One of the primary barriers that exist currently is the integration of digital payment gate way. Currently we are using direct bank transfer, mobile banking and cash on delivery as payment method. We hope it will be improved in the coming years. 

As a start up we also need financial support to invite and hire new professionals to the team and to create favorable working space. 

We planned to overcome the digital payment gateway by communicating and work in relation with our colleagues found in Kenya.

To overcome the financial problem we are looking and using each and every opportunity by participating in challenges like Solve to get fund as well as find potential investors.

We are using freelancers that work with us to fill the gap and share the load of the work.

We are also studying to get working space from government, private sectors and tech hubs.

We are currently a team of four, 1 full-time staff, 1 part-time staff and 2 freelancer.

We have a team that knows the problem well and well-positioned to deliver the solution. We have bachelors in education, economics and computer science and have been working in the education sector as a teacher and an instructor. In addition we also have experience working in the publishing industry as a book publishing editor, graphic designer. In the technology field we worked in large government and private organization as an IT support, Application support, designed, developed and launched web based and stand alone applications and systems. Currently we are providing services basically on website, ecommerce and online store design and development for the community.

This Solver team is part of Alpha IT Solution and This solution is one among our grand projects of the Alpha IT Solution. So, we are solving as Alpha IT Solution by providing a solution.

The Business model is Direct to consumer. We are redefining the currently used method by changing the supply chain. In the current market, a book should pass through at least 4 supply chains from the book publisher to the reader by which each of them add cost to the product.

(publisher->wholesaler->distributor->retailer->street book vendor->reader)  In our model consumers order books online then we deliver for them.
publisher->our platform->reader. 

Currently, there are more than 1,000 street book vendors in Addis Ababa, on average each sale 10 books per day, which means 10,000 books will be sold every day. The average book price is 4.34 USD. 35% of the book price pays for distributers as a commission. So, by using our platform and selling 5,000 books, with only 10% commission, there will be 65,115 USD monthly market potential.

With our online book store platform everyone is able to order books online using his mobile phone or computer and we are delivering to them with a 10% discount from the tag price of the book. The platform is the store in your hand. It enables users to be notified and get updates for new books, events and exhibitions.

Our platform is the market intermediary which provide services to clients to help them access the market.  By changing the current supply chain of the market which distributes 35% of the book price, we charge 10% of the price as a commission for our service.

We are applying to solve to reach our goals in a fast and swift way. It will pave the path for us where we are going. We will hire new IT professionals to the team, organize the working environment and it will help us to expand and diversify our products and services, in order to address more, provide solution and add value to the people. We hope applying to Solve will help us to grant funding as well as access to significant additional prize funding.

We need potential investors and funders who support our solution. Also we need to learn the experience, train and get consultation to build and expand  our services.

We are looking and ready for partners who will work with us. We need potential investors, organizations, MIT faculty and initiatives as well as Solve members. We need to learn their experience, train and get consultation to build and expand and deliver our services to the world.

In Addis Ababa city people join street vending to be self-reliant, to support their family and due to absences of opportunities to engaged in the formal sector. During their activities they faced lack of working place, lack of market and non-profitability of the business during operation of their business and cleanness of their working environment. However, street vendor create an enabling environment to improve one’s livelihoods and to support the family. We are providing a solution for them, while using their phone and tracking orders they can deliver to their nearest places.

We are introducing a better book store experience to the nation, Our solution is providing convenient, cost effective online book store which is accessible around the clock 24/7/365 by creating better relationship with readers, authors, and publishers, which has a direct impact on the literacy. Our solution increases the literacy rates among adults and advances inclusive economic growth through upskilling and greater digital literacy.

Our solution have the potential to significantly impact not millions but billions of lives. Our vision is to build the largest online book store ever made in Ethiopia and serve the billions of reader families and authors globally through technology so that no matter how far they are, all community looking for book will successfully get it directly from its source. The Future Planet Capital Prize will help us to achieve that goal.