Jumia introduces marketplace in Kenya to put local shops online

Hailing from Nigeria, ecommerce outfit Jumia has unveiled its online marketplace in Kenya. The platform allows traditionally offline suppliers to sell their products to the company’s huge customer base. It basically gives merchants a store front in the cloud.

Entrepreneurs are given the tools to market their products on Jumia’s site while the company takes care of product storage, marketing, customer care and delivery. Sellers can furthermore monitor their sales, as well as pending, shipped and cancelled orders on their own personal account.

Backed by German incubator Rocket Internet and in partnership with telecom giant MTN, Jumia is now operating in Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda. Often referred to as the Amazon of Africa, the online shopping site generally focus on selling electronics, fashion and appliances. The company has won numerous awards and carries a hefty amount of Nigeria’s internet traffic.

One of its biggest competitors, Konga, has also launched an updated marketplace of its own in Nigeria which aims to give offline businesses, salesmen and entrepreneurs a store front and the ability to scale and expand their services.

Parinaz Firozi, MD for Jumia Kenya, says, “Marketplace will give you the opportunity to display your product or products to thousands of customers, turn your local shop into a national shop, get your products delivered anywhere in Kenya and have professionals answering to your customers free of charge.”

Jumia’s payment options include Cash on Delivery (CoD), mobile money transfer through MPesa, and credit card.