There’s been an exponential change over the last few years in the way people shop online. Retailers have moved from having a building or offline store to an online store to sell to a larger audience. Also, many stores have now moved online since it’s cheaper to run than a physical store. There’s no building cost; the whole building of the store is online.
But even with the seemingly easier route of online stores, there have been challenges to eCommerce in Africa. Africa has one of the fastest-growing economies, but their embrace of eCommerce has been less than encouraging over the years. Times are changing, and there are now new ways to grow eCommerce in Africa.
Safe and Secure Payment Methods
Historically, Africans have found it hard to trust the means of online payment. They have had issues with trusting that their payment details are safe after inputting them online. This has caused a decline in how many Africans shop online. However, through a DSS certified payment service provider, customers can be sure of their payment details’ safety. This payment service provider meets high-security demands and also keeps the customer’s information secure and safe.
The customer should also know about these service providers, the cause of security breaches, and how the payment service providers secure the sites online. This builds a deeper level of trust, to the extent customers are more willing to put their details on a secure site and are willing to patronize more. In other words, as a recent study conducted, it’s crucial that customers are aware about the privacy and security risks online shopping poses. This means they will be better prepared for not being a victim of certain online scams.
Direct Payment in Cash
Online payment is all about trust and having faith in the customer’s service to deliver the payment. A lot of customers still do not believe they will get their intended service after payment. They prefer to pay directly in cash after receiving their services. Often, people tend to reject these services at the delivery point. Most Africans are familiar with cash. But the cash on delivery method might be quite expensive and risky. One would have to hire a delivery driver, who is most likely to be a victim of theft after the payment for services.
Giving incentives and bonuses are now used to attract customers to encourage online payment. These include discounts when customers pay online, and a level of assurance of customer security for online payment details. Ultimately, if there’s ways to make online shopping more secure, then using and communicating these approaches will increase the use of electronic commerce.
Having the Right eCommerce Page
A company’s eCommerce page is like a physical building with a home page likened to its exterior. An eCommerce company’s page is an essential part of the business. It is the store customers waltz into and buy. It should be attractive, simple, responsive, organized, and even the goods displayed should be displayed well. The better the experience, the longer customers will stay on the site, and the more they will buy. For this, aspiring eCommerce businesses need a professional web development company. These companies develop your website traditionally. They work on security breaches, your store’s outlook, and translate every feature that makes a physical store successful in the e-commerce language. They work on your SEO audit, page design, copy, template, and in total, provide an eCommerce store that serves the same and more function as a physical store.
Remember, the customer’s experience determines if they would buy. Make their experience the best you can offer them.
Fragmented Markets and Delivery Logistics
In Africa, each country has a different culture, population, economics, and market politics. All these require specific demand that accounts for the opening of e-commerce companies particular to each country. Cross border payments, tariffs, and taxes in meeting the legal requirements of countries’ market politics and policies have made it difficult for eCommerce companies to operate outside their countries. Direct payments online help customers pay from a range of payment services that suit each customer and solve multi-currency. The introduction of free trade zones solves fragmented markets as consumers can shop in those zones without extra charges.
A lot of roads in Africa are bad, and this hinders the delivery of services. Some of these can be solved using drones like those used in Rwanda to deliver blood in the hilly country.
Final thoughts
As it was seen, there has been drastic changes in the way people shop online. Most of the businesses have moved from having a physical store into having an online store and that is because it costs less money. On the other hand, there are several challenges that come alongside ecommerce. This is the case with everyone, but especially with African consumers who hesitate to be part of the online sales. However, by securing safe payment methods, having the right ecommerce pages makes all the difference.
