Nigeria’s leading e-commerce platform MallforAfrica has opened an office in Nairobi, saying this follows a growing demand by Kenyans to buy from leading retailers in the UK and US.
‘’A growing number of Kenyan consumers have been ordering goods through our platform and it makes sense for us to set up our second base in Nairobi,’’ noted MallforAfrica Country Manager, Kenya, Naomi Konditi-Kivuvani during the official launch of their offices in Nairobi.
‘’More Kenyans are becoming Tech-savvy and are increasingly shopping online, however, there is still a growing challenge to get genuine international products locally, or to get a payment platform preferred by majority of Kenyans including Mpesa.’’ added Mrs. Konditi-Kivuvani
E-Commerce has rapidly grown in the recent years across Africa and the world at large. This is because of the plentiful positive outcomes it has had on various industries including travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors, with a ripple effect on entire economies especially in developing countries. These include but not limited to increased revenue returns as businesses diversify their clientele reach, as well as efficient and faster transactions both online and via mobile money solutions
A survey done by Geo-poll in 2016 showed that in seven sub-Saharan countries, e-commerce makes up one to three per cent of Gross Domestic Product, and is predicted to make up 10 per cent of total retail sales in key markets by 2025, with 40 per cent annual growth over the next 10 years.”
South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are the leading countries in online shopping in sub-Saharan Africa.
The platform was founded in 2013 by two Nigerian brothers Chris and Tope Folayan who attended college in the United States. They came up with the idea of setting up the company after getting tired of being asked to carry loads of luggage to Nigeria from the US and other countries whenever friends and relatives found out that they were travelling.
MallforAfrica e-commerce platform provides access to US and UK stores directly and has over 8.5 billion items for sale from over 150 US and UK stores. Some of the retailers include Amazon, Carters, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, Topshop UK, Barneys, Footlocker, Sports Direct, M&S, Bloomingdale’s, J. Crew, among others.
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