Reasons why online shopping in Kenya has surged

There has been a remarkable increase in online shopping in Kenya in the past decade. This trend in shopping is basically attributed to the high uptake of computing gadgets by the Kenyan market.
For instance the availability of cheap smartphones has made the online population increase in a bigger margin. Nowadays people not only use their cell phones to just communicate but also use them to shop online.

This trend in online shopping is expected to increase in some years to come.
That said i am going to just list some of the major factors that have contributed to the immense online shopping in Kenya

Factors that have contributed to the increase in online shopping in Kenya.

Availability of cheap mobile phones that can access the internet
Convenience - Online shopping basically convenient as you can do your shopping just from the comfort of your home
Time saving - online shopping saves a lot of time needed to visit brick and mortar stores.
Economical - With online shopping you can compare prices of commodities online before making your decision.

The bottom line;

Online shopping in Kenya has essentially been the trend in shopping in Kenya for the last decade or so. This trend is even expected to surge in the future as more cheap gadgets that can access the internet keep on flooding the market.

  

Do you know any supermarket with an online shopping portal in Kenya?

Online shopping in Kenya has been on the increase in the recent past.The underlying reason is the fact that there has been tremendous change in technology. Mobile phones that are able to access the internet are plenty and are very affordable. People can actually shop on the fly. You could easily shop online using a laptop that has got access to the internet just from the comfort of your home.

Supermarkets in Kenya have conventionally not embraced online shopping. But they have now realized the importance of online shopping and the sales that they can make online. Uchumi online store in Kenya is a good example. The supermarket didn't even have a website a decade ago but now owns an online shopping portal. As a matter of fact it is the only supermarket in Kenya with an online shopping portal.

An Insight into Online Shopping in Kenya

The current world is fast transforming. Technology has not been the key engine behind this transformation. As a matter of fact technology has greatly impacted the way people do their online shopping in Kenya.

With the proliferation of electronic devices the number of online population in Kenya has increased tremendously.

The following are some the technology developments that has influenced online shopping activities in Kenya.

Reasons for the tremendous increase in online shopping in Kenya 

 Proliferation of electronic gadgets

There has been an out-pour of a wide range of electronic devices in the country. They range from mobile phones to tablets, desktop and laptop computers. As a matter of fact mobiles phones have become popular as they are now considered a basic necessity for every individual and in every household. With a mobile phone, one can be able to access a variety of goods and services online without necessarily paying a physical visit to the seller.

The availability of cheap laptop computers and tablets are also to a greater extent contributing this growth in online shopping. With a laptop computer that has access to the internet, one would be able to search for goods and services easily online.

Availability of cheap internet connection in the country

The internet has become affordable in Kenya today. There are many international and local companies that are competing in this space thereby making the internet access costs easier for consumers and businesses. This coupled with the proliferation of cheap computing gadgets has tremendously affected online shopping in Kenya.

Online payment mechanisms

We are talking of technologies like mpesa and airtel money. These gateways greatly made it convenient for Kenyan people to pay for goods and services online. Besides, Internet service providers have partnered with local banks to provide cashless fare payment system. Although this idea did not pick up as expected, it is a positive indicator that Kenya is making strides in technology that is to a great extent influencing the whole concept of online shopping.

It would be wise to anticipate that by the year 2030 Kenya is going to be a completely paperless economy.

Social media platforms

Social media platforms have been mushrooming in the past decade. There are a wide range of platforms that have been developed in this space. These include facebook, linkedin, twwiter and youtube just to mention but a few. They are the major social networking sites at present. lot of people rely on facebook for example to look for goods and services online. Companies take this as an advantage and advertise their goods and services targeting potential customers on these platforms.

Consumers as a result turn to these channels in pursuit items of their interest. The channels attract a high number of subscribers per single day and therefore contributing the growth of online shopping activities in the country.

 Search Engines

Search engines play an important role in online shopping in general. People type in keywords depending on what they are looking for online and they return relevant results based on the search query.It is the most convenient way for consumers looking for goods and services online as search engines provide those results based on your current location. Businesses have turned to these platforms to advertise their goods and services with a small fee.

Online classifieds E-commerce Websites

Classifieds platforms have been on the rising trend in Kenya. The impact on online shopping by these developments is immense. People upload pictures of products they want to sell for example at the comfort of their homes. This owes to the fact that there is a huge number of consumers looking for these products and services on the same platform thereby making them popular for online shopping in Kenya.

It is therefore clear to say that online shopping in Kenya ison the rise. People are currently turning on the internet to look out for goods and services.

Online Shopping in Kenya

Online shopping in Kenya has been on the increase in the past decade. Online shopping is simply the process by which sellers and consumers engage online in order to exchange goods and services.This has been fueled by a number of factors.

There is the proliferation of electronic devices that are for instance capable of accessing the internet.This makes it easier for consumers to look out for goods and services online. Besides, businesses have taken this advantage to a great extent and increased their operations online.

 A website has become an essential component of any business operating in Kenya and even worldwide. E-commerce websites are on the rise in Kenya. Retail outlets for example are coming up with online stores thus consumers can find their goods and services online easily.

Reasons why businesses need to embrace online shopping in Kenya

  High number of consumers online

 The number of consumers looking for goods and services online is currently very high.This can be attributed to the number of cheap electronic devices that can be afforded by Kenyans. Businesses can therefore take advantage of this trend and move their activities online.

  Online payment gateways

There are a number of online payment gateways that are available online in Kenya. Businesses are therefore able to receive payments online.It also makes it easier for consumers to pay for goods and services online thereby making the whole process convenient. This is a good opportunity as businesses are able to confirm payment before goods or services are distributed to the consumer.

  High speed internet connectivity

Today in Kenya, a number of local and multinational companies have been set up to provide cheap and reliable internet connections to businesses and even for household use. The low cost of internet connectivity means there is a high demand and use of the internet by consumers looking for services online. This has consequently contributed to the increase in the online shopping community.

  Social media

We wouldn't have finished without the mention of social media.There has been an increase the in the number of social media platforms in the past decade.The major ones are Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, google+, youtube and even instant messaging platforms like Whatsapp.The number of people on these platforms is continuously increasing and no business should ignore them in this century.People use these platforms to search for goods and services.

  The proliferation of online search engines

There is also an increase in the number of online search engines. Among the major ones are Google, bing and yelp. Consumers turn to these engines to find goods and services.They also provide advertising platforms whereby a consumer is served by an ad depending on what they are looking for.These advertisements are known as google adwords. Businesses willing to advertise on this platforms are advised to utilize this utility. Besides, businesses should also utilize Search engine optimization which is a technique of improving their organic positions on search engines.

  Availability of online classifieds platforms

These are platforms that offer free and paid online listings in Kenya. They attract a high number of visitors per day. Businesses should take advantage of these platforms to advertise their goods and services.

There has been an increase online shopping in Kenya in the past decade. Businesses are therefore advised to improve their presence online as this is the sure way of improving ROI in the current world.