By Modupe Gbadeyanka
New data has shown that 81 per cent of Nigerians use their smartphones to shop online, while 19 per cent access the online platform through desktops.
This information was contained in the Jumia Africa e-Commerce Index 2021 released recently, showing the shopping trends in the country, illustrating the importance of shopping online in a pandemic context.
It was revealed that Lagos recorded the most volume of orders on the Jumia logistics network in Nigeria, while Jumia Nigeria has more than 11,000 sellers, having achieved gender parity with 51 per cent of sellers on the platform as women.
It was disclosed that there was a shift to everyday products during COVID-19 and that the effects of the pandemic, combined with dedicated commercial and marketing efforts on the Jumia side, led to a shift in the product category mix with everyday product categories including fashion, beauty and FMCG categories accounting for about 57 per cent of GMV in 2020, up from 44 per cent in 2019.
“Since the COVID-19 outbreak, e-commerce has played an important role by supporting sellers, consumers and communities. Many businesses have joined Jumia to keep their business running and to grow.
“Consumers used Jumia for their daily needs and sought convenience and competitive prices on the platform too,” the chief executive of Jumia Nigeria, Mr Massimiliano Spalazzi, said.
It was observed that during the pandemic, e-commerce played an important by providing solutions for both businesses and the communities they serve.
Jumia’s partnerships with various brands and organizations have enabled SMEs to connect with millions of consumers online.
“E-commerce is critical to any digital economy because when you consume a service, you need to make a payment and you can only do that through e-commerce,” the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Mr Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi, said.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), internet businesses in Africa, including e-commerce which sits at the heart of the digital economy, could add $180 billion to the continent’s GDP by 2025.
“COVID-19 led to a surge in the use of digital solutions, including e-commerce. This was particularly demonstrated with domestic sales rather than cross border e-commerce.
“Food delivery, essentials, and pharmaceutical goods were among the top-performing online shopping categories,” said Torbjorn Fredriksson, Head of E-commerce and Digital Economy, UNCTAD.
Adedapo Adesanya