Business
Jumia and Konga.com – Africa’s equivalent of Amazon.com
Although not yet profitable, Jumia is bringing in “a couple of million” dollars a month in revenue and expanding at almost 20 percent monthly, according to Tunde Kehinde and Ghanaian co-founder Raphael Afaedor, both Harvard Business School graduates.
To combat fears of online fraud and to educate Nigerians about shopping online securely, the company has a direct sales team of about 200 in cities such as Lagos and Port Harcourt.
They wear outfits bearing Jumia’s logo and hold impromptu shopping sessions in businesses, churches, and homes, answering questions and using tablet computers to demonstrate how to order.
“There are people who are open to online shopping – people who have traveled or have lived abroad,” Afaedor said. With others who are skeptical, “it takes a bit more effort to get people to change their behavior.”
One person they will be delivering to again is Omotoso. The 31-year-old technician in Lagos was won over by the service after buying the tablet and plans to use it next for Christmas shopping – and now he’ll pay by card.
“They are making life very easy for us Nigerians,” he said, adding that he does not have time to tackle daily gridlocked traffic to shop for Christmas treats. “They also have quality, they don’t just sell anything.”
Eager to win more sales from Nigeria’s oil-fueled economy, which is expected to grow more than 6 percent this year and 7 percent in 2014, Jumia has a fleet of about 200 vehicles. Almost two-thirds are motorbikes, which are easier to guide through traffic jams.
