African e-commerce platform MallforAfrica (MFA) has announced the launch of a new dedicated website for eBay shoppers in Africa.
Available in Nigeria and Kenya, before a role out to other African countries, the website ebayforafrica.com see the online site extend its relationship with eBay for the benefit of customers in Africa, allowing them to access tens of millions of eBay.com listings directly from the site.
Announcing the renewed partnership with U.S. online e-commerce giant eBay, MallforAfrica CEO Chris Folayan expressed his delight at being able to offer African online shoppers unprecedented access to millions more products.
“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with eBay,” said Folayan, according to an eBay statement.
“Thus far, they have been a tremendous partner and we look forward to continuing our association. Most importantly, we are excited to be able to offer millions of products to customers who are dedicated to shopping online,” he added.
Founded in 2011, MallforAfrica enables Africans to purchase products from more than 200 U.S. and British online retailers through their e-commerce platform, staying true to their slogan, “shop global, pickup local”.
MallforAfrica and eBay began their partnership in 2016 with the launch of the eBay ‘Powered by Mall For Africa’ app in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, according to Tech Crunch.
The new dedicated website will present African consumers with a transparent combined price that will include the price of the product, international shipping, handling, taxes and fees, allowing the buyer to understand exactly what the final sum for their online purchase will be.
Customers will also have the ability to track the status of their packages from end-to-end, and ebayforafrica.com will provide the same benefits that U.S. buyers enjoy in terms of the eBay returns & exchanges program, with most transactions covered.
Sylvie DeWever, eBay’s U.S. exports director, noted with pleasure that eBay now enjoys access to a growing consumer market on the African continent.
“We’re excited for the next step in our relationship with MallforAfrica to make eBay’s expansive selection of inventory more accessible to a massive consumer audience in Africa,” said DeWever, according to the eBay statement.
MallforAfrica plans to enter 20 new countries over the next two years, and this expanded relationship with eBay will assist with their expansion, thanks to millions more products now on offer through the dedicated website.
The Internet’s contribution to Africa’s gross domestic product was calculated at 1.1 percent in 2013, much lower than other emerging markets. But this could rise to 10 percent, or $300 billion, by 2025, according to a report by consultants McKinsey’s & Company.
