Online Shopping Habit in Nigeria

The Online shopping habit in Nigeria is gradually gaining momentum. According to a report by Euromonitor International, a global market research organisation, Nigerians spent N62.4 billion shopping online in 2011, up from N49.9 billion in 2010. This represents a 25% growth rate in one year.

                                          

The growing rate of online shopping is being attributed to a radical shift in the lifestyle of Nigerians and an increasing adoption of the online medium by both merchants and individuals. It is also being influenced largely by rapid growth in technology infrastructure, as more and more Nigerians are now online, fuelled by proliferation of smartphones and increased internet connections.

The argument is that there is virtually nothing that cannot be purchased online in this internet-driven world, from textiles, electronics, cars, and books to household items. 

The number is increasing everyday, which is fuelling potentials of the growing e-commerce platforms. Shoppers looking for good deals online find e-shopping appealing due to their discount offerings and wide range of products.

This development has opened the nation’s market to home-grown online retail marketers who are making a meal of the situation. The last one year alone has seen a growing list of online shopping sites exploiting the rising Internet awareness among millions of Nigerians to woo them to virtual shopping.

The items purchased from these sites range from top-end phones (especially smartphones), electronics and computers, home appliances, cosmetics, fashion items, groceries, movies and books, with the incentive of free delivery to customers in certain locations.

While the social networks-Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Wikis, Podcast, YouTube, among others, seem crucial to the trend, a lot of business owners are opening websites where buyers can freely look up their products and also purchase, using the online payment and delivery options.

Yinka Bolarinwa says it has been a good experience shopping online. He has bought a pair of shoes for his son on Buynownow, for which he paid N5, 000 with an additional cost of N500 for delivery. He also purchased a rechargeable fan from Dealdey.

Chineye Ozor, a fashion designer says her contact with Facebook changed her business. It was not until she started showcasing her designs on Facebook that her business expanded from one small shop in Gbagada Lagos to a big online business.

“I now have a website, yet more deals come from the social networks. What I enjoy most is the interactivity and freshness of Facebook. You can seal a deal while chatting with a prospective online buyer, while delivery follows shortly.

“Online shoppers tend to price things better than when they buy from the physical shop. I sold one embroidered gown thrice the price, and used a little of the profit to deliver it. It seems a status thing to buy online and people don’t mind the price”, she explains.

As much as payment is a challenge, Oke Mmadu, owner of Goshen House, says online buyers have a bad attitude of returning some products, especially shoes and wears after delivery on the excuse that the colour, the fitting, the edge or the material is not as strong or genuine as they thought.

“Your online shop will allow you do lots of things more quickly, more effectively and with a lot less effort, from selling to restocking your shop from wholesalers all by the click of the mouse. Besides, you don’t pay tax to any local or state government official who will pocket the money for personal use”, he concludes.