Top 5 African eCommerce sites to do your Christmas shopping on

It's Christmas time, and what's not to like about Christmas. Time off work, time with family, time to completely unwind and refresh yourself for the new year ahead are all aspects of the festive period we are about to enter. But let's not forget what Christmas is really all about... it's about giving, the Christmas spirit, and let's not forget THE PRESENTS!

Christmas time is also an extremely busy period of the year as people rush off on holidays, to family functions or to the mall. Now if you don't have the time to get all your shopping done at the mall or if you simply wish to stay clear of the long lines and overcrowded shops luckily now you can.

ECommerce platforms have grown rapidly across the African continent over the past couples of years thanks to the explosion of mobile phones. By using these sites you can do all your Christmas shopping on the couch, which sounds better than standing in a line for hours, right?

As it's Christmas time, IT News Africa has selected the top 5 eCommerce websites to do your Christmas shopping on:

1) Takealot
Takealot.com is a South African eCommerce site which launched in 2011. The store is largely renowned as South Africa's leading eCommerce platforms since 2014 when it announced a $100m investment from Tiger Global. This was quickly followed by the purchase of Mr Delivery, divided into the Takealot Delivery Team (formerly Mr D Courier), which gave the company ownership over its logistics network, and Mr D Food, on its app-based on-demand food delivery service. In the same year, the company acquired Superbalist.com, a curated design and fashion website, and Naspers-owned Kalahari.com.

When ordering from Takealot you can expect your purchase to arrive within three working days with free delivery for anything over R450. If you are in need of a speedier delivery you could pay for express delivery at an additional R95 or same day delivery at R120.

This has positioned Takealot as one of the continents leading eCommerce platforms and is ideal for South Africans looking to do their shopping online.

2) Jumia
Jumia, is a Nigerian established eCommerce site which was launched in May 2012. According to the company, it was launched with the aim and vision to become the one-stop shop for retail in Nigeria with implementation of best practices both online and offline.

However, since its launch, the platform has expanded into 16 other African countries, including; Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon.

When ordering from Jumia you can expect your parcel to be delivered within 1-5  days. The pure size and reach of Jumia means that Africans from a whole host of countries can do their Christmas shopping through one of the continents most popular eCommerce platforms.

3) bidorbuy
Bidorbuy is an eCommerce website based on an internet auction and online marketplace model allowing individuals and businesses to trade with each other. This model differs from other eCommerce sites as on bidorbuy you can not only purchase new items but also used items which may help those working on a tight budget this Christmas.

There are many different shipping methods used on bidorbuy. Delivery times will vary depending on the options offered and selected. An item posted via regular post will take longer to arrive than an item shipped via a courier service; however, the latter will, as a rule, be more expensive. Always check the shipping options offered by the Seller. If there is not enough information in the listing, make use of the Ask the Seller a Question facility to inquire about shipping costs, delivery methods, insurance, tracking, etc.

4) Konga
Konga is a Nigerian eCommerce platform which was founded in 2012. It offers a third-party online marketplace, as well as first-party direct retail spanning various categories including consumer electronics, fashion, home appliances, books, children's items, and personal care products.

Konga delivers product to customers all over Nigeria. The stipulated delivery time is; Lagos 2-5 days, Rivers 3-7 days, Abuja 3-8 days and other states 4-9 days.

5) Kilimall
Kilimall, is an African eCommerce company currently operating in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. The company was founded in Kenya in 2014. Kilimall operates two main eCommerce operations, namely online shopping, where local companies sell their products on the platform, and global shipping, where Kilimall sources products that are not available locally and delivers them to its customers.

Kilimall currently has a network of 500 merchants who sell their products via the platform. Some of them have physical outlets, and others are small traders operating from their homes. Kilimall offers its merchants free warehousing in Nairobi (an arrangement known as FBK), from where sold goods are transported by the firm’s fleet of motorcycles and vehicles to customers. Kilimall also has Global Shopping and Drop Shipping for independent overseas merchants and local merchants respectively.

Kilimall offers a delivery time of 2-5 days of local order but does stipulate that international orders will take around 30 days.

By Dean Workman
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