Cameroon’s E-Commerce sales hit FCFA billions monthly

With over 5 million mobile telephone users and the growing access to Internet in the country, e-commerce is an important boost to the economy.

Since January 2016, the volume of products bought through e-commerce per month is estimated at FCFA hundreds of billions.

Roland de Heere, Jumia's Country Manager, made the disclosure while presenting the new image of the African Internet Group (AIG) in Douala on June 23, 2016.

"I cannot state the exact amount due to the confidentiality rule and competition," he explained. The digital economy has helped to create businesses, increase revenue and international commerce.

Most buyers enjoy the comfort of online shopping because of its wide range of product options at a single click and the more negotiation power e-commerce offers. "Business people have increased the sizes of their businesses.

Instead of selling in a fixed location, they can sell round the clock to people in 250 localities in the country where we reach. Now, we are promoting designers and singers online by showcasing their works, which may lead to more revenue," Roland de Heere noted.

Jumia's Candace Nkoth Bisseck attributed the boost od e-commerce to the fact that a business person can have many shops online, thus being available to many buyers at the same time. A person can be in a village where there are no such products, yet access them online and make purchases with delivery at home.

In addition, through investing in building digital literacy, some small business people, students and petty traders, have been able to make more money with the little they sell.

Jumia achieved this through training on how to create Facebook or email accounts and the use of innovative ways of making money. However, most clients at the event complained that some online products were sometimes not available. "Most suppliers don't have improved ICTs and so do not regularly update the list of the products online.

Forty per cent of traders don't pick up calls because they don't recognise the numbers calling. The sector is also facing the problem of confidence buying through the Internet," they pointed out.