By Ayo Onikoyi
In a rapidly evolving digital economy, Oluwaseun Omotoso, Founder and CEO of ZR Tales, has emerged as a pioneer in online furniture retail. Through strategic innovation, she has transformed ZR Tales from a small fashion business into one of Nigeria’s most successful furniture brands, redefining affordability and accessibility in the industry.
Oluwaseun’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2014 with ZR Tales as a women’s fashion brand. By 2017, she identified a major gap in the furniture market—consumers struggled to conveniently find high-quality and affordable furniture. “If it is good quality, it had to be at an expensive showroom and not easily accessible. if it is affordable, it’s usually not good quality” she said, quoting one of her prospective customer’s frustration.
Seizing the opportunity, she transitioned into furniture retail, launching an online presence on the biggest market place in Africa and Nigeria: Jumia and Konga while establishing a physical workshop.
ZR Tales continued to meet consumer furniture needs until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 proved a turning point. While many businesses faced uncertainty and forceful shutdowns, Oluwaseun innovated a business model to adapt to the economic downturns. She introduced a new strategy to fulfill demands by shifting to a decentralized fulfillment model. Instead of relying solely on a central workshop, ZR Tales partnered with skilled artisans who could produce and fulfill orders from their home workshops and garage.
This strategy not only reduced overhead costs but also ensured faster delivery, supported local craftsmanship, and met the rising demand for home furniture as remote work surged.
The impact was immediate—ZR Tales recorded its highest sales volume since entering the furniture market in 2017, with over 100% growth. What started as a crisis-driven solution became a long-term operational advantage, positioning the company as Nigeria’s leading online furniture retailer. Till date, ZR Tales operates in all the 36 states of Nigeria without owning a single furniture workshop and boasts of earnings 500% higher than its competitors both online and offline. According to data from Volza, Nigeria’s furniture imports dropped by 41% between March 2023 and February 2024, reflecting the growing preference for locally made options—a shift that ZR Tales helped drive.
Under Oluwaseun’s leadership, ZR Tales has become one of the top-performing furniture retailers on Jumia and Konga, ranking among the top 10% of the bestsellers in the home and office category of Jumia marketplace. She has built a multi-million Naira business while maintaining affordability, making high-quality furniture easily accessible to Nigerians. By cutting operational costs and empowering local artisans, she has set a new standard for efficiency in the industry.
Oluwaseun Omotoso’s ability to anticipate market trends and implement innovative solutions has cemented her status as a leader in e-commerce and furniture retail. Through ZR Tales, she has not only reshaped how Nigerians shop for furniture but has also contributed to the industry’s long-term transformation and that of the economic growth of the country, Nigeria.
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