• A new trends report from DHL for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) looks at online shopping habits in the region.
• One of the interesting findings is how the delivery company chosen to handle the last mile impacts shopper choices.
• 75 percent of SSA online shoppers also use their smartphones to browse ecommerce sites and make purchases.

Global delivery company DHL has shared some interesting local insights from its Online Shopper Trends Report 2024.

Surveying roughly 12 000 participants from 24 countries this year, including South Africa, the report looked at the habits of online shoppers, and what goes into their purchasing decisions.

Looking at the Sub-Saharan Africa region, where SA and Nigeria responses featured, three elements stand out. The first is how important smartphones are for ecommerce platforms, with 75 percent of respondents noting that they use their smartphone as their primary device for purchasing.

This makes sense given that there are 489 million unique mobile subscribers and 287 million mobile internet users in the region, per GSMA, representing a penetration rate of 43 percent.

Mobile applications are also proving popular in the region, with DHL noting that the next big trend will be social ecommerce, with platforms like TikTok and the like being used to sell products more effectively.

“Sales through social media platforms are expected to reach 2 trillion US dollars by 2025 compared to estimated 700 billion US dollars in 2024. This would represent an approximately twelve-fold increase within a span of six years,” DHL highlighted in a release shared with Hypertext.

“With this also comes a shift in preferred devices for buying online. Most online shoppers in SSA (75%) prefer to browse and purchase products with their smartphones, using them as the dominant shop window and purchasing device. Of course, this also has implications for the presentation of products and the structure of online stores,” it added.

The report also points out the impact of two Chinese ecommerce platforms, both of which have launched in South Africa to great effect – Shein and Temu.

“The SSA phenomenon of app-based marketplaces has witnessed a remarkable surge in popularity, with Shein and Temu leading the way. These platforms share the everyday appeal of offering online shoppers an enormous range of products seamlessly integrated into user-friendly mobile apps,” shared DHL.

“Shein is immensely popular with shoppers in South Africa, while Temu has gained significant traction among shoppers in the UAE,” it explained.

One of the final elements worth touching on from the report, and of particular interest to DHL, is the impact that the delivery company handling purchases will play in decision making. Here 71 percent of respondents from SSA want to know the delivery company before completing a transaction.

It is easy to understand why this is the case, as online shoppers are looking for more transparency and trust in the delivery process, and therefore want to know the logistics partner responsible for handling their orders.

Added to this, knowing what delivery company is handling your purchase will also impact the anticipated costs, which is viewed as a significant barrier to 60 percent of respondents.

“Offering reliable delivery and returns can help solve shoppers’ frustrations and improve their experience. In Sub-Saharan Africa, consumer purchasing patterns are being impacted by social and technological trends, including social media. People also want to know who the delivery provider is before making a purchase,” said Amadou Diallo, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding MEA.

“By understanding these emerging trends in the e-commerce landscape, DHL is well-equipped to tailor its services and provide exceptional solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers globally,” they concluded.

[Image – Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash]