By Brian Mugenyi
Kampala: The Union Transport Alliance Brand Ambassador Ms Alice Natukunda has called on investors, business owners, traders and Union clients to embrace the digital revolution by using the Union App to market their products, reach customers and purchase Union Transport Alliance commodities online.
Speaking during an exclusive interview, Natukunda said the rapid growth of digital technology is creating a new frontier for Ugandan businesses, allowing entrepreneurs to move beyond physical shops and traditional marketplaces and connect with customers through their mobile phones.
She urged Union clients to observe, understand and utilise the Union App, saying its potential goes beyond communication to include product marketing, online purchasing, customer accessibility and business expansion.
“We encourage investors, business owners and our clients to observe the Union App online, understand its capacity and make good use of it. It can help businesses market their products, reach customers and access Union commodities more conveniently,” Natukunda said.
BUYING GOODS FROM THE PHONE
Under the emerging digital model, a Union client does not necessarily have to travel to a physical outlet to look for products.
A customer can access the Union App, browse available commodities, identify the products they need and place an order online.
The platform can therefore create a direct connection between the customer and the Union marketplace, making purchasing more convenient while opening another channel through which Union products can reach consumers.
For a small business owner, the same digital ecosystem can provide an opportunity to market products to potential customers.
For a retailer, it can create another sales channel.
For an investor, it can provide access to a wider commercial network.
The smartphone consequently becomes more than a communication device.
It becomes a marketplace.
DIGITALISING THE INFORMAL ECONOMY
Natukunda’s call also comes against the background of Friday’s strategic partnership between Union Transport Alliance and the United Informal Sector Forum (UISF) at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
The partnership, launched under the theme “Tuliwamu — Building Uganda’s Invisible Economy Together,” brought together representatives from 18 informal-sector categories, Union leadership, stakeholders and the media.
The partnership seeks to connect traders, retailers, salon operators, restaurant owners, transporters and other informal-sector entrepreneurs to products, markets and commercial opportunities.
Digital commerce is expected to play an important role in that transformation.
Through platforms such as the Union App and Union Online Duuka, businesses can increasingly participate in a connected marketplace rather than relying entirely on physical customers.
FROM PHYSICAL SHOPS TO DIGITAL MARKETS
For generations, Ugandan businesses have depended on physical trading spaces.
A customer walks into a shop.
A trader displays merchandise.
A buyer selects an item.
Money changes hands.
The digital revolution is changing that familiar process.
A customer can discover a product online, place an order and arrange for delivery without necessarily visiting the seller’s physical location.
Natukunda believes Union clients should position themselves to benefit from this transformation.
She says the Union App can help make products more visible while giving customers a more convenient way of accessing Union commodities.
The opportunity is particularly significant for small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to expand their customer base.
A BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM
The digital strategy forms part of the wider vision associated with Union Transport Alliance Chief Executive Officer Fred Ssenoga.
Through initiatives linked to Jambo Riders, Union Oil, Union Water, Union Jerry and other Union activities, Ssenoga has increasingly promoted an interconnected business ecosystem bringing together transport, products, technology and entrepreneurship.
The Union App adds a digital marketplace to that ecosystem.
The idea is to connect different participants across the value chain.
A producer can supply products.
A distributor can move them.
A retailer can sell them.
A transporter can facilitate delivery.
A customer can order through the App.
Each participant becomes part of one economic chain.
Ssenoga’s Digital Revolution
For Ssenoga, the digital transformation of business is not simply about introducing an application.
It is about changing how Ugandans participate in the economy.
Digital platforms can help businesses improve product visibility, reach customers faster and explore markets beyond their immediate physical surroundings.
They can also provide consumers with greater convenience by allowing them to interact with businesses from wherever they are.
The vision therefore places technology at the centre of commerce.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Uganda’s entrepreneurs are increasingly being challenged to adapt to a business environment where technology, mobility and digital commerce are becoming inseparable.
Natukunda’s message is consequently straightforward: Union clients should not watch the digital revolution from the sidelines. They should participate in it.
Investors can explore new markets.
Business owners can market their products.
Retailers can access customers.
Clients can purchase Union commodities online.
And consumers can become part of a growing digital marketplace.
As Fred Ssenoga continues to promote technology as a tool for enterprise and economic empowerment, the Union App is emerging as part of a bigger ambition—to digitalise the economy, connect businesses to opportunity and bring the marketplace closer to every Ugandan with a smartphone.
In Ssenoga’s vision, digitalisation is not merely changing how Uganda does business; it is helping redefine where the economy itself lives.