A majority of people in sub-Saharan Africa do not trust online shopping sites, according to a recent GeoPoll survey conducted in five countries — Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana — on online shopping following a Black Friday frenzy seen in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
According to a recent KPMG report, in seven sub-Saharan countries, e-commerce makes up one to three percent of GDP, and is predicted to make up 10 percent of total retail sales in key markets by 2025, with 40 percent annual growth over the next 10 years.
South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are the leading countries in online shopping in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the survey, in South Africa a majority (60%) bought items online every few months. That was the same in Kenya (45%) and Nigeria (66%).
According to the ‘NextWeb’, there is a direct co-relation between access to the internet and the rise of online shopping. South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya have the highest levels of internet and smartphone penetration in sub-Saharan Africa according a 2015 Pew Global research survey titled ‘Cellphones in Africa: Communication lifeline’.
Although many have tried online shopping, in all other countries except South Africa, a majority only tried it once. Among the top reasons cited why many in these 5 African countries do not frequently use online shopping sites are; lack of trust, shipping costs, unsupported payment methods and because a friend had a bad experience.
Other reasons were lack or reliability of some sites in delivery and the purchase process. Others felt that there was no need as the items were readily available at their local store.
