Kenya’s online retailer to expand across Africa

Kenya’s e-commerce platform Kilimall say it plans to spread across Africa by end of 2022. Yang Tao, CEO of Kilimall, said the company was founded in 2014 and established operations in Uganda and Nigeria last year.

“We plan to be present in all African countries by end of 2022 in order to serve the growing demand for online shopping,” Yang said during a meeting with a visiting delegation of Chinese investors who are seeking opportunities in Kenya’s e-commerce sector.

Yang said that the firm was first established in Kenya as the country has the best pool of talent and business climate in the region. The Kilimall digital marketplace said its plan is to revolutionize the retail sector by allowing anyone to sell their goods and services online.

“We exist because we believe Africans deserve better online shopping experience and service,” the CEO said.

Yang said that Africa is expected to experience an e-commerce boom in the next five years as the cost of accessing internet declines.

He, however, noted that one of the biggest challenges facing expansion of online shopping on the continent is the issue of trust by consumers that they will receive what they have paid for.

Yang noted that Kilimall is able to offer best value for money by maintaining an online payment model where consumers pay before they receive the product. “This ensures that we only attract serious buyers hence we don’t have returned parcels due to lack of payment,” he said.

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