Jumia, one of Africa’s top e-commerce sites, has launched full-fledged e-retail services in Cameroon. This follows recent successful launches in Ghana and Uganda, thus taking the total number of African countries that have the online retailer active to nine.
Cameroonians have a strong purchasing power and are more and more interested in consumer goods. Even though internet penetration within the country is still low, it is largely growing thanks to the increase in smartphone use, which implies that now is the perfect time for online retail to set up itself. According to McKinsey Global Institute report in 2013, Cameroon is Africa’s 13th biggest economy with an economic growth rate of 4.7 percent and a nominal GDP of $26 billion in 2011.
With own delivery teams and warehouses in addition to various payment options, which include credit card, mobile money and cash on delivery, Jumia has conformed to the worldwide megatrend for African consumers and won the trust of a big and constant developing client base.
“This is another exciting step for Jumia. We are convinced that Cameroonians will take up the chance to shop conveniently and easily online. Additionally, we are committed to preserving our high standards of security, tremendous service and great value as we proceed to grow across the continent,” stated Christina Hawley, the managing director for New Countries at Jumia.
According to Reuters, Jumia , which was initially launched in 2012, has already successfully brought e-commerce to Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Uganda, Ghana, Morocco and Ivory Coast in addition to launching a site within the UK.