E-commerce is fast establishing itself as a viable alternative to brick-and-mortar shops in most countries across the world. Worldwide e-commerce sales are expected to grow to a staggering US$4 trillion by the year 2020.
Although in its nascent stage in Africa, e-commerce is projected to rake in between US$50 billion to US$75 billion for the continent by 2025, according to the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). With a huge youthful population, Africa holds great potentials for any indigenous businesses that decide to take advantage of growth of e-commerce on the continent.
So how can indigenous businesses struggling for sales and brand recognition take advantage of e-commerce platforms like Jumia to grow?
List for Free
Ghanaian businesses struggling to make sales and expand their businesses have the opportunity to list their businesses for free on platforms like Jumia. Listing on an online marketplace like Jumia means leveraging on the advantages of your traditional shop for the walk-in customers and a vast online space for customers who might not necessarily be within your reach.
Save on Marketing and Promotions
If you are an indigenous business that struggles to sell your wares, a dedicated budget for marketing and promotion might be the last item for your consideration. But one important point in business is that if you fail to market, you are simply planning to fail. Marketing is as important as the production process itself. Just take advantage of e-commerce. With platforms like Jumia, you are assured of free and extensive promotion for your products. Jumia undertakes to promote and drive sales for your products and thus saving you the cost of marketing and promotion that your business would have otherwise incurred.
Serve a Wider Market
Once listed on an online shopping platform, your product or service is showcased to millions of people across the country and thus you get to serve a bigger market. This can boost sales and propel the growth of your business.
Get Free Professional Advice
One of the factors militating against the growth of most indigenous businesses is packaging. Whilst product development is key, packaging is what essentially sells the product. Most Ghanaian products struggle to sell because of poor packaging. This is one area e-commerce platforms like Jumia help. Jumia provides professional advice to their vendors in the area of packaging to make their products presentable and competitive.
So instead of depending on walk-in customers for your sales, you have unlimited opportunity for growth if you decide on tapping into the huge platform that e-commerce offers.
