Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days in the world, will this year offer great deals and price cuts for bargain hunter around Africa.
Set to be the largest event of its kind in Africa, online shopping destination Jumia introduced Black Friday, falling this year on 27 November, to the African market in 2013.
“Originally established in the US more than 50 years ago, Black Friday, is now a well-known sales day both in the US and Europe. It is, however, new to the African market and Jumia put great focus on introducing this new sales opportunity to African consumers,” says Jeremy Doutte, CEO and MD of Jumia Nigeria.
In 2014, while more than 100-million Americans were shopping over the Black Friday holiday, millions more were shopping online on Jumia. Last year, Jumia reached an all-peak in sales within 24 hours and had over 1,5-million online visitors.
More than 50% of the visitors accessed the site through a mobile device via Android or iOS. These sales represented a 10-fold order increase compared to 2013’s Black Friday.
“Africa’s disposable income & online consumption is growing at an extraordinary rate. We expect to sell more in this year’s Black Friday than in the whole of 2014. But this is just the start. We are here for the long term and have plenty more surprises to come,” Doutte says.
Last year’s Black Friday sales showed a great interest in digital products such as flatscreen TVs, digital cameras and ventilation systems. Essentially a marketplace for high-end brands, Jumia has everything from local fashion brands such as Uniwax and St. Geneviève, to established mobile brands such as Infinix, Samsung and Innjoo.
This year, Jumia plans for iys Black Friday sale to have a lot more than just large discounts on electronics. Electronics and fashion products take the lead when it comes to sales, but Jumia will offer great deals on cosmetics, home appliances and even children’s toys to its African customers.
“By tapping into a global shopping phenomenon, with the support of our partners, we have created a powerful event that our customers will love,” says Doutte.
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the US, when retailers see a peak in sales. The day became the biggest shopping day of the year with retailers offering discounts and special deals.