Niche e-commerce is on the rise across Africa, and they don't come more niche than Nigerian startup Gibadi, a B2B marketplace specialising in business and industrial goods supplies for small and mid-sized companies.

Launched last year, Gibadi says its aim is to fast-track industrialisation in Africa through its wide range of essential tools and spares covering maintenance, repair and operational tools as well as safety supplies, hand tools, and test and measure devices, among others.

The startup possesses a delivery fleet, which delivers goods across Nigeria within five days and allows customers to pay on delivery. Customers are able to raise quotations on the homepage, with the Gibadi platform integrating into existing procurement software platformS such as SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards and SAP.

Gibadi is targeting small and mid-sized companies in industries such as manufacturing, oil and gas, construction, hospitality, transportation and general business, and plans to spread across key African cities in the next five to 10 years.

Self-funded so far, the startup plans to raise funds this year. Revenues, however, have been strong, with Gibadi processing US$100,000 worth of orders in February alone. Its active user base is already over 20,000.

If you are familiar with how things work in this industry, you will know that the introduction of brands like Gibadi.com will make things a lot more easier for companies, if they are successful in achieving their ambition of becoming Africa's Online Industrial Store. In the mean time, have a look at their stock of Safety & Security, Office Supplies, PPE and so on www.gibadi.com.

The website and market it serves look promising. With proper marketing (customer satisfaction, strategic promotion, tactical positioning, branding etc) it will capture Nigeria's industrial eCommerce market, dominate the scene and then Africa's continent.