Life in the emerging post COVID-19 era is proving as difficult as when the virus put a halt to economic and other aspects of human activities while at its peak. The pandemic is leaving in its wake economic realities the world might not recover from for a decade to come. To navigate this unanticipated reality, countries are reeling out shrewd economic measures which are resulting in diverse economic effects on their citizens. More stinging is the dire economic situation the pandemic enforced on the globe that everyone is becoming more frugal with what they dispense.
The situation on the home front is a vivid example. The pandemic hugely affected the income of Nigeria such that the federal government embarked on cost-effective measures on its spending. One of the direct effects of this on Nigerians is the removal of fuel subsidy. The price of PMS is therefore left to the market forces which make it more difficult for the government to regulate. In an economy dictated by oil prices, cost of transportation, food and other materials tend to respond to every pump price adjustment.
Residents of Lagos and other commercial hubs who rely on public transportation for their daily business activities will attest to the effect the recent fuel price hike has had on their pockets. Added to this is the stress commuters go through while paying this high transportation fare.
At a time like this, saving on transportation is one of the smartest moves to make and this is where an e-commerce bundle of services can come in handy. Especially for those in a city like Lagos, initiative that affords them one less thing to worry about will be appreciated. Convenience is the most talked about features of online shopping, but there are several other benefits consumers can leverage. Platforms like Jumia and konga are making shopping life easier for smart folks. No need to jump bus or fuel the car to get that everyday essential. From the comfort of the mobile phone, a customer only needs to place the order and leave the cost of logistics to the e-commerce platform.
There’s pressure to be competitive to get a fair share of customers’ hard-earned money in today’s market and e-commerce firms are responding by offering more to customers through low cost or free shipment. For instance, to enable their customers to save more, Jumia now encourages their sellers and other big brands partners on their platforms to offer free shipping to customers. This is also being expanded beyond just promotional campaigns. To help customers save money on delivery fees, Jumia introduced Jumia Prime. Launched in June 2019, Jumia Prime is a membership programme that gives access to a range of digital services and offers from Jumia. Designed for frequent shoppers, Jumia Prime eliminates shipping fees, so members make savings every time they place an order.
Additional benefits included within Jumia Prime Membership are: free shipping on Jumia Express items, free delivery on Jumia Food orders, an IrokoTV package, Boomplay Premium Unlimited Listening, and many others.
Furthermore, online shopping grants access to cheap deals as products are put on sale directly from the manufacturers or sellers without the middlemen. A recent example of this is the recent Jumia Brand Festival where customers were able to buy directly from top manufacturers like Samsung, Nokia, Nestle and others. Also, online shopping saves you the pressure from sales representatives at brick and mortar stores.
Another huge benefit of online shopping is the opportunity to compare prices and research products. For instance, for a customer aiming to buy home appliances or gadgets such as phones and laptops, customer reviews are available to provide firsthand experiences and ratings as a guide. Also, online platforms provide a variety of product options that enable buyers to choose from a range of products, compare features, as well as prices. So why not save yourself the pain of spending that hard-earned money the stressful way by trying out the cost-effective offerings of e-commerce. Jumia and the likes are just a click away.
-Ayomide Oriade is a Public Relations expert
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