A Ugandan trader no longer has to travel to Dubai to look for cosmetics or Japan to source a vehicle before starting a business.
With a smartphone, internet connection and mobile money, much of the search, marketing and transaction can now be done from Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara or even a village trading centre.
A farmer can check weather information online, a shopkeeper can advertise goods on WhatsApp, and a customer can make payment without handling cash.
The smartphone has quietly become a shop, office, advertising space and payment counter.
That digital shift is also changing direct selling in Uganda, where QNET is strengthening its focus on the market with greater emphasis on consumer education, distributor training, transparency, compliance and responsible entrepreneurship.
QNET is a global lifestyle and wellness company that operates through direct selling and e-commerce.
The company has appointed Jared Thwaits as its Regional General Manager for East and Southern Africa, with responsibility for Uganda and other markets in the region.
Thwaits will oversee customer experience, distributor education, compliance, stakeholder engagement and the modernisation of QNET’s direct-selling operations.
He says the expansion of digital commerce must be accompanied by greater clarity about products, business models and the responsibilities of people representing companies online.
“Uganda does not need more promises of quick wealth. It needs credible entrepreneurial opportunities built around real products, informed consumers and responsible business practices,” Thwaits said.
Under QNET’s model, customers can purchase its lifestyle and wellness products, while people who choose to become Independent Distributors can build independent businesses around selling the products.
Thwaits said distributors should not exaggerate earnings, promise guaranteed income or present the opportunity as formal employment.
“Independent Distributors are often the first people introducing consumers to our products and our business. That comes with significant responsibility,” he said.
They are also expected to avoid making product claims that cannot be supported by the company.
The emphasis on responsible marketing comes as social media and mobile money increasingly influence how Ugandans buy and sell.
A businessperson can photograph a product in the morning, post it on WhatsApp Status and receive an inquiry before midday. Facebook and Instagram can reach customers beyond the immediate neighbourhood, while mobile money can complete a transaction without a physical cash exchange.
But the same technology that makes commerce easier can also make misinformation travel faster.
“Technology creates tremendous opportunities, particularly for young entrepreneurs, but it also increases the speed at which misinformation can spread,” Thwaits said.
He said QNET would therefore place greater emphasis on responsible digital marketing, accurate product information and proper representation of income opportunities.
For consumers, that means asking questions before making a purchase.
For prospective distributors, it means understanding what they are signing up for, how the business generates income and what costs and risks they may incur.
The distinction is important because an Independent Distributor is running an independent business, not taking up formal employment.
QNET says its renewed Uganda strategy will focus on product knowledge, ethical business practices, compliance, distributor education and improved customer experience. The company is also investing in digital tools for customers and distributors as part of a wider technology transformation.
There are changes at the global leadership level as well.
Mattias Mildenborn has been appointed chief executive officer, while Elena Khoo becomes chief marketing officer and Peter Luk chief financial officer. Ben Bredenkamp has been appointed group chief information officer and is expected to oversee the company’s technology transformation, including the responsible integration of artificial intelligence.
Kuna Senathirajah, group managing director of QI Group, QNET’s parent company, said the changes are intended to position the business for changing consumer expectations and long-term growth.
But in Uganda, the success of the strategy will ultimately be tested much closer to the customer.
It will be tested by the consumer asking: What exactly am I buying?
And by the person considering direct selling asking: What exactly am I getting into?
“We want to build for the long term in Uganda, and that starts with trust,” Thwaits said.
“We want consumers to ask questions. We want people to understand exactly what they are buying. We want our Independent Distributors to represent QNET responsibly, and we want to engage openly with regulators, media and other stakeholders.”
As direct selling becomes increasingly digital, companies in the sector are likely to be judged not only by the products they offer, but also by how clearly they explain their business models, train their representatives and respond to consumer concerns.
For QNET, Uganda is therefore entering a new phase in which growth is expected to go hand in hand with education, compliance and responsible entrepreneurship.
In the smartphone age, the sale may begin with a WhatsApp message.
But the relationship that keeps the customer coming back still begins with something much older: trust.
