Jumia Kenya has launched an advertising service that will see brands and corporate organizations advertise on its online platform
Speaking on the launch of the service, Jumia Chief Executive Sam Chappatte said the e-commerce firm intends to open up its extensive logistics network to third parties.
He said that twenty per cent of their active internet users in Kenya are on Jumia each month. “We know our customers well and can use this to present relevant adverts for them,” he noted as he unveiled Jumia Advertising Services in Nairobi.
“This can enable our customers discover relevant products and services, and will become a powerful digital marketing channel for advertisers,” he said.
In December last year, the E-commerce firm confirmed that it has sent home about six percent of its local employees, days after its parent company announced the closure of its operations in three countries. The shut down operations were in Cameroon, Tanzania and Rwanda.
As at December 2018, the company had 686 employees. But they did not specify the number of affected employees.
A GeoPoll study released in January showed that Jumia is the most dominant retail site, with 80 percent of the country’s online shoppers using its platform mostly to buy electronics.
Jumia which launched in 2012 in Lagos, Nigeria, and is now in 11 African countries, is the continent’s largest e-commerce platform. It has more than 5,000 staff and is targeting creation of three million direct and indirect jobs in the continent by 2025.
The move is seen as it attempts to reinvigorate its revenues, bolstered by high traffic on its platform.
Jumia said they had 1.1 billion page views in 2019, with three million unique visitors every month.
“Customer shipping fees have reduced by over 50 per cent. Access to products and services is now easier. We have focused on providing goods that people need most,” said Mr. Chappatte.
Last month, the E-commerce platform appointed Kenneth Oyolla as its Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), taking over from Diana Owusu-Kyereko who was promoted to the position of CEO for Jumia Ghana.
