Online retailers have turned the battle for shoppers to Christmas and New Year as the festive season takes centre stage. Players in the online retail segment have already rolled out enticing offers which include huge discounts and other rewards.
Kilimall last week launched its Christmas campaign – Timiza Ndoto – which comes with price cuts of up to 70 per cent on various products. Managing Director Robin Xie said online marketplaces are riding on high Black Friday sales, which grew by 300% at Kilimall, to grow Christmas sales.
Mr Xie said discounts will apply to most of its products, which include smartphones, electronics, home and living and fashion products. The year-end festive season brings higher sales for retailers as Kenyans take a break to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
Supermarkets have traditionally dominated the retail space for years, but online outfits are invading this space to serve the tech-savvy and price-conscious shoppers looking for convenience and bargains. Offline retailers are also bullish. Nakumatt, Kenya’s leading offline supermarket, is projecting a positive sales growth of up to 34% through to January next year.
Shopping vouchers
Meanwhile, Kilimall has also introduced redeemable shopping vouchers for individuals, companies and other organisations. “Instead of buying the products you can get the vouchers and give to someone as a reward so they can shop for the products of their choice,” he said. “This will work well for companies looking to reward their staff or business partners.”
He said Kilimall expects more sales of smartphones TVs and fashion items during the Christmas period. “December is a relaxed month and we expect more Kenyans to shop online,” said Mr Xie. To handle increased demand, the company says it has signed up various delivery agencies including Posta, G4S and Fargo Courier.
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