Africa has the youngest and second-largest population of any continent in the world. With this burgeoning digital audience, now is the time to ensure that African women are participating in and benefiting from the e-commerce journey.
The IFC’s Women and E-commerce in Africa report estimated that closing the earnings gaps between men and women on e-commerce platforms could add nearly $15 billion to the African e-commerce market by 2030. To achieve such gains, the report calls for proactive efforts from e-commerce platforms, investors and policymakers, to not only increase the number of women selling online, but to provide these entrepreneurs with the support they need to establish and scale their businesses.
At Afrikrea, one of the principal challenges women entrepreneurs encountered prior to joining our platform was their limited access to financial resources compared to their male counterparts. This issue is also mentioned in the IFC report, which points out that women are more likely to use their personal savings to start their e-commerce japan whatsapp number data businesses, and less likely to have received a loan from a financial institution.
Additionally, the report mentions that women are less likely to utilise paid promotions, such as advertising, for their businesses. However, they are more likely to value hands-on training and business support – and that’s where Afrikrea, with services like our ANKA app, has had its biggest impact. We offer online coaching sessions and one-on-one training for sellers who request additional support: All they have to do is register on the schedule and select a time and date. We also have an online Afrikrea Help Center, where articles and tutorials are available to help them solve any issue they may have. By simplifying and demystifying the process of launching an online shop, we’ve created opportunities for women vendors specialising in everything from clothing, shoes and jewelry, to decorations, art, food, beauty products and more. This has helped generate impressive growth for the platform: Our number of sellers doubled from 6,000 to 12,000 between 2020 and 2021, and 80% of them are women.
Adapting to a Shifting Online Landscape
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