Onlineshopping.co.ke has joined the list of the sites that offer online purchase of electronics, mobile phones and home appliances in Kenya.
Onlineshopping.co.ke expects to reach out to Kenyans by offering goods and services to their doorsteps on the cash on delivery mode of payment, says its managing director Vincy Len.
The company “offers 48 hours delivery services” and all the products are at discounted prices, Len said.
According to a post on the site, one goes online, browses for the products then makes the orders. The developer firm behind the site later offers free deliveries at no cost.
Currently, the site offer services exclusively around Kenya’s capital Nairobi and is looking to expand to other regions countrywide.
Online shopping is fast catching up in Kenya. Justin Wanjala a banker at NIC Bank told HumanIPO online shopping services offer better conditions to potential customers such as researching online, variety of products, comparing quality, quantity and prices of products before making a decision.
Wanjala said it’s cheaper than moving from one shop to another and saves on time although many people from rural areas are excluded from the faster services “as a result of poor information and communication infrastructure.”
As reported earlier by HumanIPO, online shopping has been hampered by insecurity on the Net.
In other African countries such as South Africa and Ghana, the level of online shopping is growing at a tremendous rate with more people opting to make online purchases given the faster delivery, easier return policies and free shipping.
Reports from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) indicate the number of online users are still far below the world average by 30 percent although the number is increasing as Africans become more familiar and proficient with online shopping.
The number of e-commerce in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya has increased as a result of the increase in the number of mobile phone use and availability of faster Internets.
In South Africa, 51 percent of individuals with internet access shop online while in Kenya, 18 to 24 percent make online purchases. In Nigeria, approximately 28 percent of the population has Internet access according to ITU figures.
The number of mobile mobile subscriptions has topped 87 million. This is a motivator to new generation of Internet developers eager to increase buying options by providing discounted deals on a wide range of products and services.
Analysts suggest lack of convenient and reliable electronic payment services for online shoppers as a major problem confronted throughout Africa.
