Kenyan-based tech startup Drift Consult debuts tech solutions to automate operations in retail, food industry

KENYA – Barely a year old since it launched in the Kenyan retail industry, Drift Consult ltd is trying to revolutionize the over Sh740 billion (US$577m) industry by offering a cloud-based point-of-sale system (PoS) that helps retailers accept payments from customers and keep track of sales and inventory in real-time.

Using solutions that include its retail tech named RACK, Drift is targeting both small and large businesses in building their market share and also pull them away from the traditional processes to bring in better customer-centric functionalities that ensure the experience is different and work is done.

Among many reasons that Business Daily Kenya has indicated in the why Kenya’s big retail chains are struggling article, the media house highlighted poor category management, high risk of pilferage, and embezzlement.

According to the tech firm, it enables retailers to manage their inventory and integrate with e-commerce platforms and is the first local Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform with end-to-end integration and inventory management.

Drift was co-founded by Ferdinand Eloto and Derrick Matheka in 2018, after consulting for another IT firm that was in the market for a PoS system.

Ferdinand, a user interface developer, said: “We’ve grown organically and fast in the last few months owing to client referrals. Most of the local PoS systems are old and offline, and their competitors in the market haven’t tailored their solutions to the Kenyan context.”

“If you don’t own the source code, it’s very limiting for you to even do much of it. We built our system from scratch. Our greatest advantage is that our system is 100 percent customized. Whenever you go to a merchant and his business is probably not conventional, our system can adapt to that environment.”

He added that their software solution attempts to capture every single business aspect and is cost-effective, offering business owners insights that help them plan.

The firm has partnered with PesaPal, which has over 3,000 merchants to offer convenience in the payment system.

Ferdinand noted that the team is now looking to deploy a tailor-made product for the hospitality sector, where there is a big potential for automation.

On Drift’s website, the firm also has J-Factory, a custom-built desktop application for Jungle Nuts (Thika), which automates the End-to-End production line for the existing 7 factories and revolutionizes the payment process.

With underlying payment generation algorithms, staff members are paid entirely based on their effort, rather than the traditional flat rates, ensuring efficiency in the workplace, Drifts notes.

Involving third-party integrations of Biometric, Notification, and digital payment platforms, a seamless operation is achieved with minimal human intervention, the firm underscores.

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