Lagos / Abuja (Reuters) - self service kiosk owner funmilayo Akinola weighed the safety of his livelihood as a coronavirus outbreak forced stores in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, to close. After deciding that she could not afford to work, she faced the challenge of replenishing inventory, as security measures disrupted the supply chain and the pandemic made it more difficult for informal traders to buy wholesale goods.

The answer lies in a logistics company that provides an online market for manufacturers and retailers to contact.

Trade depot in Lagos shipped the goods she bought using the company's app.

"I'm going to lock in my store because my husband won't allow me to enter the market to grab goods," Akinola said

Now, she uses her mobile phone to order goods from trucks or tricycles to narrow kiosks in Mushin, a fanatical District of Rahim, filled with mountains of everything from drinks to canned food to detergents.

Akinola said demand was particularly high during the one month Lagos blockade that ended in early May.

Onyekachi izukanne, chief executive officer of trade depot, said the company - which operates in six of Nigeria's 36 states and was established in 2017 - has increased total revenue by 300% in the year to September compared with the same period in 2019.

Ikenna nwosu, a logistics consultant, said the pandemic triggered a broader "digital" process, forcing people to shop online. He said it opened up a new supply chain network and created jobs as companies hired more workers to distribute goods.

"It creates new sources of income. "It's just the beginning of digital," he said

The coronavirus outbreak has forced many of our stores to close. Security measures have disrupted the supply chain. The “digital” process of online shopping has indeed reduced our risks. This has created more job opportunities, and hopes to be more popular, so that we can reduce the epidemic. Severe regional and human contact. Strictly prevent importing from other countries.