{"id":903,"date":"2026-07-12T18:37:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T17:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=903"},"modified":"2026-07-12T18:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T17:37:37","slug":"abraka-traders-restrategise-to-cushion-economic-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=903","title":{"rendered":"Abraka Traders Restrategise To Cushion Economic Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By<\/strong><em> <\/em><strong>Ejiro Itebu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Small-scale business owners in Abraka are adopting new sales and supply strategies to cope with rising costs, poor sales, and product losses amid Nigeria\u2019s current economic challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Traders across different sectors say they are adjusting purchasing patterns, improving customer relations, and calling for government intervention to sustain their businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A local business owner said poor sales and product spoilage remain major challenges, especially for perishable goods such as tomatoes, fruits, and vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the trader, many of these items remain unsold for long periods and spoil before customers buy them, leading to financial losses. Drinks and baby food also pose a challenge due to expiry dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To reduce losses, the business owner said she now studies customers\u2019 buying patterns before restocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cProducts with low demand are now purchased in smaller quantities, while fast-selling items are stocked more regularly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She added that the approach has helped reduce waste, prevent expired products, protect business capital, and improve overall profitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An electronics dealer expressed concern over the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said the continuous rise in prices of electronics has made restocking difficult and weakened customers\u2019 purchasing power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a result, many people can no longer afford items such as televisions, refrigerators, fans, and mobile phones,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dealer also cited the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products, high transportation costs, unstable electricity supply, and increasing shop maintenance expenses as additional burdens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To address the challenges, he appealed to the government to stabilize the economy and support local manufacturing of electronic products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He advised fellow traders to buy from reliable suppliers, offer quality products with warranties, maintain good customer relations, and leverage digital marketing to reach more customers and boost sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A filling station attendant also raised concerns about challenges affecting the sale of petrol and other petroleum products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He identified frequent increases in fuel prices, fuel scarcity, and delays in supply as key factors discouraging customers and reducing sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFuel scarcity and delays in supply often leave filling stations with little or no product to sell, leading to a drop in sales and income,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that unstable electricity, high operating costs, and rising transportation costs from depots have made operations more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Long queues during scarcity also sometimes create tension between customers and workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attendant called on the government and relevant authorities to ensure a steady supply of petroleum products and introduce policies to stabilize fuel prices.<br>He advised station owners to maintain equipment regularly, provide good customer service, and ensure accurate dispensing of fuel to build customers\u2019 trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith better fuel supply, fair pricing, and improved management, the challenges facing the business can be reduced, allowing both business owners and customers to benefit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Ejiro Itebu Small-scale business owners in Abraka are adopting new sales and supply strategies to cope with rising costs, poor sales, and product losses amid Nigeria\u2019s current economic challenges. Traders across different sectors say they are adjusting purchasing patterns, improving customer relations, and calling for government intervention to sustain their businesses. A local business [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":2,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[31,67],"class_list":["post-903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=903"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":905,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903\/revisions\/905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}