LAGOS – Jumia, the e-commerce platform has published its first Africa e-commerce report, Jumia Africa e-Commerce Index 2021 with a Nigerian section, which leveraged data from the company’s platform to illustrate the importance of shopping online in a pandemic context.
This is as Lagos city has led the list of cities with the most volume of orders on the Jumia logistics network in Nigeria.
The shift to everyday products during COVID-19 is part of a broader economic transformation led by the continents young, urban and tech savvy population.
A statement by its media consultant stated that the effects of the pandemic, combined with dedicated commercial and marketing efforts on the Jumia side, led to a shift in its product category mix with everyday product categories including fashion, beauty and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) categories accounting for 57 per cent of Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) in 2020, up from 44 per cent in 2019.
Massimiliano Spalazzi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jumia Nigeria, while commenting on the development, said that since the outbreak of the COVID-19 outbreak, e-commerce has played an important role by supporting sellers, consumers and communities.
He explained that many businesses have joined Jumia to keep their trade running and to grow, noting that consumers used Jumia for their daily needs and sought convenience and competitive prices on the platform.
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 Gross Domestic Product (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.
Independent