Top 10 E-commerce Platforms In Kenya
One of the most complex markets for online shopping, Kenya, is a medium-sized but very understandable market for e-commerce. According to the UNCTAD E-commerce Index Report 2018, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya account for more than half of the online shoppers in Africa. E-commerce in Kenya has developed significantly over the last few years, particularly among small and medium businesses. However, the market is still expanding. Even though the formal retail penetration in Kenya is ranked at 30%, the fraction of Kenyans shopping online was only 0.5% (but that figure is anticipated to rise).
The use of apps in e-Commerce has found rapid entrance in the market and plays an integral part in the advancement of e-commerce shopping. Customers are now able to use apps to buy goods and services such as food, clothing, vehicles, real estate, and transportation services. Kenya nevertheless has some digital space for some local players with a stable foothold.
The Kenyan internet and e-commerce landscape are comparable to that of Nigeria. Even though it has only 47 million internet users, a fraction of the Nigerian digital population, the affluence of Kenyans and well-spread habits of using online shopping make it a sophisticated market. Contrarily, many Kenyans do not trust the idea of buying goods online, which has made E-commerce online payment options unexplored (credit cards have a 10% penetration rate in Kenya), with most transactions carried out in cash or M-pesa.
There are difficulties when it comes to finding the right online store as some stores have formed the habit of delivering what you never ordered while some promise what they can’t deliver. To give you a more useful insight into the state of the market competition in the Kenyan e-commerce landscape, here are the popular top 10 leaders of e-commerce platforms in Kenya.
10. Masoko
Masoko is an e-commerce platform powered by Safaricom. They focus on selling genuine, guaranteed phone devices and internet accessories that can be delivered to you within 3 hours. Although their prices might be on the high end, one thing they are known for is their durable and long-lasting products. For those who favour quality rather than quantity, give them a try.
9. Cheki Kenya
Cheki is an advertising E-commerce platform for buyers and sellers to showcase their cars, vans and other vehicles. Established in 2010 to advertise cars on their platform, they offer a wide range of quality vehicles for buying and selling and its no wonder they are the most sought-after online car directory in Kenya with a strong presence in Nigeria, Ghana Tanzania and Uganda.
8. Gadzone
Gadzone is a marketplace focusing on the best of high-end devices, gadgets, accessories and many other products. It enables customers to buy a wide range of Home and Living products, health and beauty, games and toys, fashion, bookstore, car accessories and other diverse items.
They are among the few e-commerce stores that offer PayPal as a payment option for those who are frequent users of PayPal.
7. Naivas Online Supermarket
Naivas has turned out to be one of the largest online grocery supermarkets in Kenya that provides you with a convenient platform for shopping without leaving the convenience of your home or office. They offer an affordable range of grocery items online, with over 60,000 items on their online platform. Naivas E-commerce platform is user friendly, and you can find your various items like Baby Products, Oil & Sauces, Food Cupboard, Fresh Food etc. The good thing about Naivas is that they provide a 3-hour delivery across Nairobi.
6. Sky Garden
Founded in mid-2015, Sky Garden is an online market place for Kenyan businesses that provides a user-friendly platform that takes into account customer’s elementary understanding of e-commerce via safe and secure payment and shipping. Users who wish to sell their goods and services are encouraged to sign up to the platform with no registration or monthly fees for Sky garden, prefer to work on a commission basis, and taking a service fee of eight percent on every transaction. Through its website, sky garden sells a wide range of products: Phone and accessories, electronics, furniture, home appliances, clothes and many more. When it comes to delivery, I will give them a high rating; their same-day delivery option ensures that customers receive their orders in less than 12 hours.
5. Tusky Online Supermarket
For those who would want to avoid the unnecessary queue at the popular conventional tusky supermarkets can now afford to shop at ease at tusky online. Although you might not be able to find everything you would find at your local tusky store, there is a lot of items you can find at the online store like general groceries, foodstuff, electronics, television, laptops, phones, furniture and many more. They offer same-day delivery, 24/7 online customer support, and you can also arrange to pick your orders up at any tusky branch of your choice.
The good thing about Tuskys is that there is always a promo, keep an eye on their website; it can save you a lot financially.
4. Avechi
Initially operating as a physical shop before morphing into a thriving online shopping destination, what differentiates this e-commerce store from the rest is their large stock of smartphones like one plus Xiaomi or Cubot. They offer a unique selection of gadgets that the most competitive in terms of prices in the market. You do not need to wait for your favourite phone to launch in Kenya. Avechi offers various types of shipping options like global shipping (international products delivered in 7-14 days), bulk shipping (bulky items like cookers, fridge and furniture delivered less than 24 hours) and express (T.V and smartphones delivered within 3-4 hours). They deliver in 47 counties outside of Nairobi and also cover Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Somalia.
3. Jiji Kenya
Jiji is a popular Kenyan online marketplace with an advanced security system that enables users to post free ads and get buyers faster. With this online classified platform, users can buy and sell phones, cars, shoes, bags, furniture, clothing and many more. Although usually considered free, users who wish to sell their goods faster can opt for the premium services that will enable your ads to appear at the top of the page.
2. Kilimall
Launched in 2014, Kilimall is one of the largest E-commerce online shopping platforms in Kenya, with a Facebook fan base of close to 1 million. It is a platform that not only provides an avenue for people to shop for and buy goods and services, but also provides an avenue where merchants selling any form of good or service can have a chance of hosting their shop on Kilimall. They offer products that span various categories, including Phones, Computers, Clothing, Shoes, Home Appliances, Books, healthcare, Baby Products, personal care and much more. The key uniqueness that Kilimall has over the other E-commerce platforms is that they connect traders straight to consumers. The only difference between Kilimall and other e-commerce platforms apart from their comparatively lower price is that While other online shops will enable you to pay on delivery, at Kilimall, you are only allowed to pay before shipment.
- Jumia
A pioneer of e-commerce, Jumia is the largest online retail store in Africa in terms of traffic with over 100,000 unique visitors a day, buying everything from Fashion to Phones. Founded in 2012 in Nigeria, Jumia moved its operations to Kenya in May 2013 with the mission to revolutionize the concept of shopping by providing customers with the best online shopping experience. With a staggering 18 million followers on Facebook, making it the most massive e-commerce store on social media. Jumia offers You affordable mobile phones, tablets, computers & laptops, women’s fashion, men’s fashion and has them delivered to you. Jumia offers a delivery method that provides you with the option of either picking your orders at a selected Jumia pickup station or delivering right to your doorsteps.
Jumia offers merchants the opportunity to sell their goods with ease and convenience through their platform. Keep an eye out for Jumia Anniversary for eye-catching deals.
While the e-commerce market moves towards considerable growth in the coming months and years, these top e-commerce companies in Kenya have shown us how to boss it at the top, paving the way for others to follow in their steps. In the end, it’s a win-win for the Kenyan e-commerce economy.
Individually, these companies have put together the largest e-commerce websites in Kenya by focusing on the critical steps for e-commerce success like customer’s user experience, encouraging online transparency, going mobile, staying on top of SEO and working closely with various social media platforms.
Here are the top e-commerce websites in Kenya. Have you ever purchased goods or services from them? How was the experience? Are their prices affordable and the delivery convenient? Let us know in the comments below!