Wednesday
March 1
2023

Jumia Wants to Be the “Amazon of Africa.” But It Can’t Find the Customers

By David Adeleke

For a subset of Nigerians, shopping on Jumia offers convenience more than anything else. In populous cities like Lagos and Abuja, where traffic can be too heavy or going to the market to buy household items can be an all-day affair, the ability to order something on Monday and receive it by Wednesday is as good as magic.

But this magic hasn’t quite rubbed off on the company, once hailed as the “Amazon of Africa.” The Lagos-headquartered Jumia, which has a presence in 11 countries and was Africa’s first unicorn, has been the dominant e-commerce player on the continent for more than a decade. However, this dominance and popularity among users have not resulted in profits for the company, which has failed to impress shareholders and tech analysts.

Photo courtesy of Hello Lightbulb.

Source: Rest of World (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Technology
Tags
e-commerce, failure