eCommerce has improved trade and commerce in Africa in no small way. it has continued to open the continent to more possibilities and opportunities across the globe.
According to AppsFlyer, eCommerce in Sub-Saharan Africa witnessed immense growth in 2021. There was a 55% increase in online retail spends, even as the volume of downloads and installation of eCommerce apps on Android and iOS also grew, standing at 55% and 32%, respectively.
These are some very positive indicators for Africa’s rather nascent eCommerce ecosystem. Also fascinating is the fact that the growth trajectory is expected to continue, due to the following factors, as highlighted by Statista:
- Africa’s tech-savvy young population
- Africa’s rapidly growing internet penetration and
- The availability of widespread digital payment startups that are enabling eCommerce on the continent.
It is not very surprisingly that majority of the leading eCommerce companies in Africa are located in some of the continent’s biggest economies. During a recent interview, Appsflyer’s Regional VP for Europe, Middle East and Africa said:
“Basically, we have seen the growth come in from three main countries in Africa. We’ve seen South Africa growing really nice, Nigeria and Kenya. These three countries are leading the way.”
Here are the top 5 biggest eCommerce in Africa according to Statista
Let us now focus on the six biggest eCommerce companies in Africa. Again, we should reiterate that the main yardstick that was used for selecting the top eCommerce platforms is their monthly website traffic; as tracked by Statista. The report is dated 2021.
- Jumia: Headquartered in Nigeria, Jumia’s average monthly website traffic is 32 million.
- Takealot: Headquartered in South Africa, Takealot’s average monthly website traffic is 10 million.
- SOUQ: This Amazon subsidiary is headquartered in the UAE from where it serves some parts of the Middle East and North Africa. It records an average monthly pageview of 10 million.
- Konga: Headquartered in Nigeria. Konga’s average monthly site views is 3 million.
- bidorbuy: Headquartered in South Africa, bidorbuy’s average monthly pageview is 1.5 million.
- Kilimall: Based in Kenya, Kilimall’s average monthly site visits is 500, 000.
