With the internet having captured enough market strength across the continent in the last couple of years, African eCommerce is becoming more of a common and engaged practice, especially in countries where mobile communication and internet access is becoming more prevalent. The trading of goods and services through online platforms has revolutionised the sphere of purchase platforms and exponentially grown reach and availability. It has also, supplied brands with a ladder to step up to the digital plate and nurtured a technologically advanced relationship with customers around the world. When it comes to trends across the African continent, what can be forecasted for 2015 and beyond?   Brands can be expected to constantly utilise and keep on board with the latest mobile technology to efficiently deliver to the African consumer. Seeing as the internet still holds a greater share via wireless mobile connections than solid ADSL or fibre optic cables (75% to be exact), it would be imperative for these brands to craft a highly modernised online strategy. Jumia is one of Nigeria’s (and Africa’s) most popular online retail platform offering consumers anything from fashion to computers, cosmetics and homeware.    

“Paga” is an African mobile platform that allows those who sign up to freely and cheaply send money to a dependant via mobile communications.

  Another trend investors in the African telecommunications market should be keeping their eyes on is the growing influence on social media as a platform for advertising and marketing communications. As of January 2015, the African continent can boast 103 million active social media accounts and profiles. This substantial collection of online activity is attributed to the fact that 26% of Africans have direct access to the internet - a number that is on the rise. Eskimi, a well-known social hub in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, is the perfect launch pad for advertisers (local and international) to link their brand promises onto the splash pages of the widely used online meeting ground.  

Below is a statistical page from Slideshare. One can see that there is no longer a contrasting “disparity” between the online African market to the rest of the world. At 26% online, the eCommerce potential has surpassed that of South Asia and has almost caught up to the Middle East  

  Taking a step into the music industry, South Africa and the rest of the continent has always been a melting pot of beat culture, urban pop, Kwaito and traditional influences. In South Africa, the market of buying songs and albums is yearning to become more internalised and is slowly grow domestically. iTunes however still rises to the top as the most popular medium to legally buy music online. Local radio stations such as 5fm catalogue the most popular hits being sold to the South African public on iTunes and suggests that a monopolisation over the industry is still prevalent.   There is still a massive void for African industries to fill in terms of eCommerce, but as the online statistics increase we find ourselves competing strongly in the international market     Contributed by Cameron Smith.