Sukhiba hosted its first-ever Conversational Commerce Summit bringing together industry experts, stakeholders, and tech enthusiasts to explore the latest innovations in Conversation Commerce and AI.
Sukhiba is at the forefront of transforming how businesses interact with customers across
emerging markets, where business is commonly done on WhatsApp. With SUKHIBA,
businesses can leverage AI principles to grow sales by listing products, engaging customers,
running campaigns, and accepting payments entirely within a WhatsApp chat.
“Our vision is to reframe how businesses perceive and utilize WhatsApp – not just as a communication tool but a powerful platform that helps businesses run and grow more
efficiently,” said Ananth Gudipati, Founder and CEO of Sukhiba. “This event is our chance to
unveil our latest innovations and share insights on how businesses can leverage both
conversational commerce and AI to hit their growth goals.”
The evening’s agenda included a panel discussion featuring Joel Rao, CEO of Dentsu Digital
Brands; Wambui Mbarire, CEO of The Retail Trade Association of Kenya; Sneha Mehta,
Cofounder of Uncover Skincare; and Jai Gandhi, CEO of Darling Group East Africa. The
Kenyan retail sector is going digital and growing fast, with many local and international retailers expanding aggressively.
During the discussion, Wambui Mbarire emphasized the need for retailers to embrace more customer-centric solutions. When asked what advice he would give to any businesses looking to adopt conversational commerce, Jai answered, “The customers are already buying on WhatsApp. We are the ones who need to accept change and adapt our businesses to meet them where they are if we want to grow and retain our customer base. Tools like Sukhiba are not replacing brick-and-mortar stores, they are complementary.”
There was also a fireside chat moderated by Ananth Gudipati, featuring Sara Muyonga, Meta
Public Policy Manager, and Caroline Hane-Weijman, Paystack’s Kenya Country Lead. The
discussions underscored a future where growth will thrive on stronger collaboration between
policymakers and payment partners.