E-commerce platform MallforAfrica has continued with its aggressive African expansion plan by entering 11 new markets in response to demand for the company’s patented platform.
The desktop and mobile app, which lets Africans purchase products from more than 250 U.S. and U.K. online retailers, will now be available in Angola, Chad, Guinea, Botswana, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, according to a MallforAfrica press release.
The app is already available and popular in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Rwanda, with over 8.5 billion items to choose from that are shipped straight to the customer’s door.
The technology used within the platform is therefore bridging the gap between African consumers and global retailers.
This new development will see far more African consumers given access to a e-commerce and m-commerce platform that effectively manages every aspect of the order and return cycle, providing Africans in those new markets with more online shopping options than ever before.
A quick visit to the MallforAfrica site reveals that users have the ability to shop via their mobile device or computer at well-known international brands that include Nordstrom, Marks&Spencer, Next and Macy’s.
These brands would ordinarily be inaccessible to a typical consumer in most parts of Africa, but thanks to MallforAfrica’s patented platform and Africa’s high levels of mobile internet penetration, African online shoppers have a whole new world of e-commerce at their fingertips.
Global retail e-commerce sales will reach $4.5 trillion by 2021, which represents a 246.15 percent increase worldwide from 2014, according to Statista.
The Nigerian-based platform wishes to take advantage of this growing trend with the launch of their app in 11 new African markets.
MallforAfrica CEO Chris Folayan expressed his excitement at the fact that his innovative platform is now available in more parts of the continent.
“This is an exciting time for Mall for Africa as our rapid growth will afford millions of new customers the opportunity to shop from the most desired retailers,” said Folayan, according to the press release.
“Current customers in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda love our platform which is why we are rolling out in 11 additional countries and will continue to expand our platform to meet the needs of customers worldwide,” he added.
Since 2011, Africans have been able to use the patented app to purchase goods in the U.S. or the U.K. for delivery to African countries, but in 2017 MallforAfrica also made it possible for Africans in certain parts of the continent to sell their unique artisan products into the U.S. using the online platform, according to ITWebAfrica.
This was made possible through an extension of the existing partnership with global e-commerce market leader eBay.
In order to deal with the fact that many Africans remain unbanked and do not have credit cards, the e-commerce innovators came up with their very own payment platform known as the MallforAfrica web-card, according to TheAfricaReport.
This web-card allows African users to pay for orders in local currencies to ensure that paying for goods via the app would not be a stumbling block.
In December MallforAfrica was awarded a fashion retailing accolade for their efforts in providing African consumers with access to international markets through innovative tech.
The African e-commerce business won the Drapers Award for Innovation in Fashion at the recently concluded Drapers Award ceremony in London, Techcabal reports.
MallforAfrica finds itself in good company as the recipient of the international award, with previous winners including the likes of H&M, Next and BooHoo.com.
