- Beauty products and mobile phones are the most ordered items by rural dwellers in Kenya and Uganda, according to data from Jumia.
- In rural areas of Kenya, 16% of Jumia’s deliveries were beauty products, while phones, furniture, and bedding each accounted for 11%.
- In rural areas of Uganda, mobile phones constituted 15% of orders, followed by homecare products, computing devices, and men’s clothing.
- Jumia aims to expand its reach in secondary cities and rural areas, providing convenient shopping and access to a wide range of products.
New data from Jumia has revealed that beauty products and mobile phones are the most ordered items by rural dwellers in the East African countries of Kenya and Uganda.
The report was made available during the launch of Jumia’s strategy to drive deeper penetration and make inroads among countryside communities in Kenya.
According to the reports, 16% of all Jumia’s deliveries to rural areas in Kenya were beauty products. This was more than phones, furniture and bedding which stood at 11% each.
Other items that made the top ten are television sets, video and audio devices, computing devices, etc. The data contrast heavily with what obtains in urban centres in Kenya where food dominated orders. The company says the phenomenon is because of the abundance of home-grown foods in rural areas compared to the near absence of them in urban centres.
What Rural Dwellers in Uganda Order online
A similar trend also follows in nearby Uganda but in this case, mobile phones, homecare products, computing devices and men’s clothing dominated orders in rural areas on the e-commerce platform.
Mobile phones constituted 15% of all orders by rural dwellers in Uganda followed by homecare products, computing devices and men’s clothing which made up 12%, 11% and 7% respectively. Food also dominated orders by urban dwellers in Jumai in the report.
Jumia’s Comments and Plans
Jumia noted that the report points to its drive to expand its scope in secondary cities and rural areas.
According to its CEO Charles Ballard,
- “We are proud to bring a modern and convenient shopping experience to customers located in small Kenyan towns and to give them access to millions of products that are not available locally.
Jamie’s development in peri-urban and rural areas of Kenya shows our commitment to driving economic growth and improving lives through the Internet”
E-commerce in Africa
E-commerce has been growing steadily across Africa albeit at a slow pace amidst the numerous infrastructure and logistics challenges. The continent is forecast to reach half a billion e-commerce users in 2025 by the International Trade Administration (ITA).
Fashion, electronics and household items dominate e-commerce sales in the continent. According to a BBC Report, around $411 million worth of wigs were imported from China into the small Benin Republic in 2014. It alleged that most of the hairs were whisked to nearby Nigeria.