E-commerce in emerging markets like Nigeria is booming daily and Nigeria has rewritten the playbook.
With low trust as one of the major challenges in online payments, poor logistics, and diverse consumer behavior, leading Nigerian brands like Jumia, Konga, and Paystack have built solutions that Western companies can and should learn from.
Here are 5 game-changing lessons from African e-commerce warriors like Jumia and Konga we really need to pay attention to:
1. Trust is everything
Nigerians fear scams, yes we really do!. The Western brands can adopt a Pay-on-delivery system, escrow payments by reputable payment systems like Flutter wave and Paystack and testimonials from credible influencers are very essential to win this roadblock. Social proofs, and flexible payments as trust building tools still also matter in the West.
2. Rethink last-mile logistics
Logistics challenges have forced leading brands to become innovative by creating systems like motorcycle deliveries e.g., Gokada, personal delivery agents, Micro-fulfillment centers, local pick up partnerships like Jumia pickup stations and Konga pickup Retail stores, and alternate delivery models to boost speed & savings.
3. Localize your marketing
Winning brands have mastered the craft of sales through Pidgin ads like Konga’s “Gbedu” campaigns ,riding on trends, flash sales and black friday offers .Nano influencers(local social media sellers) partnership and community influencers have also been proven to drive real engagements. The western e-commerce must understand we all need to Speak our customers’ language — culturally and literally.
4. Embrace flexible payments
Many Nigerians do not have credit cards, so leading brands have adapted a No cards? No problem system. Nigeria leads with bank transfers and USSD, By now pay later like the common easy buy mode of payment , bank transfers by paystack and flutter wave to ease shopping, and agent-assisted cash deposits. The western e-commerce can learn a great a lesson here to reduce cart abandonment by offering localized, alternative payment options.
5. Go mobile-first and Go social
90%+ of Nigerians access the internet via mobile. Many stores thrives so by taking orders via DMs on WhatsApp and Instagram, and even SMS, TikTok and Facebook live sales interactive shopping
experiences. Making purchases so seamless and flexible is a winning formula against major problem the struggling market face
Takeaway: Optimize for mobile and embrace social commerce (DMs, livestreams, WhatsApp Business). Western e-commerce scales with efficiency. African e-commerce scales with hustle. The best brands will learn from both.
Let’s build smarter, more inclusive, and more adaptive global e-commerce strategies. 🌍💡