Koni Solution – Innovating in the time of crisis
While everyone else was trying to find their way around the global COVID-19 crisis, Koni Solutions saw an opportunity and decided to grab it. In this story, we will find out more about their efforts to jump-start the Albanian e-commerce scene.
"When God closes a door, he opens a window." We can apply this phrase to Koni Solutions and everything that happens to them during the COVID-19 lockdown. But let's start from the beginning.
Koni Solutions is a service-based startup from Tirana. They are pioneers in introducing and integrating the FileMaker platform in Albania. They are a diligent, hard-working, and innovative team, gathered together by company co-founder and CEO Lolita Ndoci.
Besides being a company CEO, Lolita is an active member of Women Founders Network Albania (WFNA). She was participating in startup events organized by WFNA, often with the support of Swiss EP. Lolita is always willing to give back to the community and take an active role in making Albania a better place for entrepreneurs.
Being an innovation-driven startup, Koni Solutions has always managed to find a way to their customers. Usually, they have developed different software solutions to improve performance and increase their clients' efficiency. That business model worked perfectly for them.
However, with the complete lockdown in spring 2020 due to COVID-19, Koni Solutions, just like many other Albanian companies, had to adapt to the new business circumstances in order to survive.
Now, before we continue with our story, let's take one step back. Before the lockdown, most of the companies in Albania were not present online. Some had a presentational website, but they did not invest or even thought about taking their business and shops online. Even big companies and supermarkets were not listing their offer anywhere online.
Then the COVID-19 emerged, and businesses all over the world had to find a way to endure. In Albania, the situation was even more difficult. The internet was available to everyone and everywhere, but you could not buy necessities or order a meal anywhere online.
In such circumstances, Koni Solutions saw a window of opportunity and decided to seize it. Lolita and her team spotted a massive gap in the market - business had to go online, or they would vanish. After only a few weeks after the lockdown started, they had launched a new service — a simplified e-commerce platform for businesses of all sizes. A custom online shop would be a place where companies can offer and sell their products and services.
After an extensive marketing campaign, Koni Solutions succeeded in attracting new customers. Most businesses realized that they needed to move a part of their operations online, and they welcomed this practical solution.
By the end of the spring, Koni Solutions had increased their profit. They have found a way out of the crisis. On top of that, they have helped other companies to do the same. Thanks to Koni Solutions, companies throughout Albania could serve their customers via fully functional online shops, instead of using a PDF brochure on a website or social media page.
“Where others see a crisis, we have chosen to see innovation and opportunity.”
Lolita Ndoci, CEO of Koni Solutions
The SwissEP Albania team and experts have been supporting Koni Solutions for a few years now. It will be our pleasure to support them in the future, in their mission of taking Albania's businesses into the new online world.