For Nigeria’s retail landscape, billions of naira are lost each year to expired stock, inefficient inventory practices, and disconnected local retail systems.
Consumers struggle with fragmented access to essential goods, unreliable deliveries, and a lack of convenience, while store owners face mounting pressure to digitize operations, reduce waste, and increase profitability.
In this edition of Techparley’s Drive100, we spotlight a startup that is attempting to reshape the way Nigerians buy and sell everyday essentials through an integrated retail technology ecosystem that bridges physical stores and online shoppers.
Odaxpress and Odainventa, founded by Gideon Ojotule Achimugu, are building a digital backbone for Nigerian retail, modernizing grocery, pharmacy, and household essentials shopping while empowering store owners with smarter inventory management, digital visibility, and revenue optimization tools.
“We are not just another delivery platform; we are creating a connected retail ecosystem that enables stores to operate smarter, reduce waste, and reach consumers faster and more conveniently,” Gideon says, framing the vision that drives both Odaxpress and Odainventa.
What You Should Know About Odaxpress
Odaxpress is the consumer-facing marketplace in the ecosystem, providing Nigerians with hyper-local access to groceries, medicines, food, and household essentials.
The platform is designed to make shopping efficient, transparent, and reliable by connecting customers with verified stores in their area, enabling product comparisons, and providing fast delivery.
Unlike traditional marketplaces or delivery-only platforms, Odaxpress addresses structural inefficiencies in the Nigerian retail market, such as stockouts, fragmented inventory, and limited access to digital tools for store owners.
“Consumers no longer have to move from store to store. Odaxpress ensures convenience, access, and speed, all from their mobile device,” explains Gideon.
This focus on hyper-local visibility and trust differentiates Odaxpress from competitors like Glovo, Chowdeck, and PricePally, which primarily focus on delivery or wholesale supply chains without offering deep retail digitization or backend intelligence for stores.
The Odaxpress & Odainventa Ecosystem: Features and Benefits
Odaxpress (consumer-facing) and Odainventa (store-facing) together create a holistic retail ecosystem designed to modernize Nigerian retail operations while improving the shopping experience.
Key Features Include:
Smart Inventory Management: Real-time tracking and automated alerts for expiring or unsold products, allowing store owners to act before losses occur.
Offline-to-Online Integration: Converts physical store stock into digital listings, ensuring wider reach and sales opportunities.
Automated Promotions: Enables immediate discounting of items nearing expiration, reducing waste and increasing revenue.
Verified Store Listings: Ensures trust and reliability in consumer purchases.
Efficient Delivery Network: Reduces delays and improves customer satisfaction.
Key Benefits:
Consumers: Seamless shopping experience with reliable delivery, price transparency, and convenience.
Store Owners: Improved operational efficiency, reduced inventory losses, better profitability, and digital visibility.
Retail Ecosystem: Bridges offline and online retail, creating a more connected, efficient, and scalable marketplace.
“Odaxpress is fundamentally addressing one of Nigeria’s biggest retail challenges: billions lost due to expired or unsold stock,” emphasizes Gideon.
Current Traction, Milestones, and Community Reach
Since its public launch on May 12, 2025, Odaxpress has achieved significant early traction, reflecting both market need and user validation.
The Key Milestones:
- 182,000 people reached across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Jos, and Ibadan, organically without paid advertising.
- 1,500 active users onboarded within the first 12 weeks.
- 40 total orders fulfilled, generating N66,800 in verified revenue, with one bulk order of N3,000,000 pending fulfillment.
- N4,509,000 in unfulfilled order requests, highlighting unmet market demand and growth potentials.
“Even at pilot stage, we see significant unmet demand, proving that Nigerian consumers and retail stores are ready for a smarter, digitally connected shopping experience,” the founder explains
This early traction demonstrates real consumer engagement, retailer interest, and readiness for scale, positioning Odaxpress and Odainventa as a viable solution for Nigeria’s retail inefficiencies.
Meet Gideon Ojotule Achimugu & the Team
Gideon Ojotule Achimugu, Founder and CEO, leads the vision to simplify everyday shopping and empower local stores.
With extensive experience in customer growth, retail insights, and brand strategy, he ensures the ecosystem addresses both consumer needs and operational gaps in Nigerian retail.
Key Team Members of Odaxpress include:
Gloria A. Tanko (COO / Co-Founder): Operational strategist, expert in business processes and partnership development.
Ayuba M. Amshi (CTO / Co-Founder): Web development, SEO, social media marketing expert with hands-on retail experience.
Alpha B. Eliah (Head of Engineering): Full-stack engineer focused on automation, speed, and AI-enabled solutions.
Saminu P. Manga (Creative Designer): Designs marketing visuals and brand experiences to attract and retain users.
Gideon emphasizes the collaborative approach of the company as, “Our team combines real-world retail experience with smart technology and creativity to make shopping easier and business smoother for store owners.”
Challenges and Odaxpress Strategic Responses
Odaxpress faces typical challenges of Nigerian retail tech startups such as:
Market access and resources: Limited presence in high-demand cities initially.
Scalability and logistics: Ensuring reliable delivery while expanding service coverage.
Infrastructure limitations: Varying digital and transport infrastructure across urban centers.
The team is tackling these through:
- Strategic city-by-city expansion to capture high-demand areas.
- Investing in technology-driven delivery solutions for efficiency and speed.
- Optimizing operational workflows via Odainventa’s smart inventory management.
- Preparing marketing strategies to build awareness and adoption.
“Our goal is to ensure stores operate smarter, reduce waste, and reach more consumers, all while providing a seamless shopping experience,” says Gideon.
Strategic Roadmap: Short and Long-Term Vision
The Odaxpress short-term (6–12 Months) vision include:
- Expand from Jos to Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan.
- Finalize Odainventa development and integrate with Odaxpress.
- Increase daily order fulfillment capacity, improve delivery reliability, and refine the user experience.
Long-Term (2–3 Years):
- Achieve 1,000 daily orders across multiple cities.
- Establish Odaxpress as Nigeria’s leading digital retail ecosystem, bridging offline and online retail operations.
- Explore AI integration and advanced retail analytics for smarter inventory and consumer insights.
- Support retailer growth and profitability while improving consumer convenience at scale.
“We aim to build a platform that not only serves consumers but also empowers store owners to operate efficiently, reduce losses, and grow sustainably,” Gideon concludes.
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