My FourWalls is a mobile application created to help Nigerian students gain easy access to deals, events and also make money by selling, buying and trading items within themselves.

In this interview with the YNaija’s #Impact365 series, Alex Umerie, co-founder of FourWalls, talks about the mobile application and revolutionize how students use online market place.

Could you tell us more about your app, Fourwalls?

“Four walls” as a noun phrase is usually used to idealize the perimeter of an object. We wanted an avenue for students in the higher institutions to trade items they do not need or want to make some cash off to their peers right in the four walls of their campus. And we definitely wanted them to do it securely without much intrusion from people not in school.

Fourwalls; the mobile app is a marketplace exclusively for college students that allows them buy, sell and trade items securely within themselves. That way they can access cheaper alternatives to scarce commodities especially in this tough financial times.

Just like your average Alade or Wuse market, noise must be made when you shop. Fourwalls has a vibrant social angle; there is a “Pulse” feed where you can advertise your items to other students, gist about on-off campus news, conduct polls, promote your events etc.

With extra features like in-app messaging, GPS services, making offer & counter offers, buyer reviews etc, Fourwalls delivers a unique user interaction.  A very interesting blend between e-commerce and social media.

What problem do you hope to solve with Fourwalls? What led to its formation?

Most of us were once students in a University, Polytechnic or College of Education. I found it extremely hard to dispose of most of my stuffs when I was leaving school. I had to painfully give most of it out at little or no cost.

So primarily for us, it was about providing a platform where students can earn money, while solving each other’s problems.  A text book or laptop speaker  I am throwing away might be just exactly what another student in my school needs.

If I put it on fourwalls, I make some cash while the other guy gets an item he needs at a more conservative price hence saving money.

With Fourwalls, the more business inclined students can have a first hand dig at running a small business. We have provided them a viable business avenue to meet with customers.

We know we have competition in this regards, but none of them has processes tailored to this particular market “the student market”. I believe they see no economic advantage, we on the other hand see an opportunity and we want to fill in.

The other issue is that of internet insecurity. Other platforms has alot of questionable and faceless individuals. It is easy to get scammed there and students represent a very vulnerable market sector.

Fourwalls plans to create an environment in each school where there is a general sense of community policing. With our strict verification process, we would ensure only students are on the platform.

How long has your initiative been around? How many schools are you currently present in?

A little over a week. We are covering University of Lagos, University of Abuja, University of Nigeria, ABU Zaria, Lagos State University. We are also present in Yaba College of Technology, Baze University as we speak.

How did you structure it to fit the Nigerian market specifically?

Its functions are tailored to our Nigerian market. We all like to go to the market and get what we need having bargained the fairest prices. There is a “make offer’ function that allows users offer his/her valuation of an item on sale. The seller can choose to make a “counter offer.”

A typical Nigerian market is never quiet, people are trading, people are displaying and advertising their wares, people are gossiping etc. Going to the market is a socially engaging experience- trust me. We have tried to capture all of that in a mobile application; Fourwalls.

Do you plan on introducing Fourwalls across the various schools in Nigeria?

Yes. We hope to extend our reach to almost all schools in Nigeria. These does not stop at just Nigeria. We also have plans for schools across Africa as a whole.

As we have observed, the services the application provides to students in these colleges is not only a need, but a necessity.

So far, how receptive have people been towards the product?

Thus far, the reception and support has been tremendous. Users love the design, it’s intuitiveness and flexibility. Since launching last week, we have been able to amass a sizeable number of downloads even with very less publicity and we foresee significant improvements as time goes on.

Ultimately, what are the plans you have for Fourwalls and what future do you envisage?

Fourwalls as you know is the first product from the stables of our parent company; ServiceDroid. We have big plans to keep fourwalls rolling. Using fourwalls, we plan to ease the hassle involved in finding housemates and accommodations in colleges.

We may also introduce a feature where students have quick access to deals that cater to their needs. Eventually,  we intend to be able to deliver items sold amongst students not just to students in the same school, but also in different schools and ultimately different states….and maybe different countries…who knows.

The opportunities fourwalls presents are enormous. Adding value is our continuous prerogative.