Africa’s leading e-Commerce platform, Jumia, has offered the support of its integrated ecosystem which includes a marketplace, logistics and online payments to governments in Africa, as part of the global action against COVID-19.
There was never a time in history that e-commerce has become extremely relevant to the everyday lives of Africans than 2020. A year best described by the outbreak of COVID-19, brought to the fore the indispensable role of e-commerce as consumers across Africa relied on its delivery system to access essential products.
Africa’s leading online marketplace, Jumia did not
disappoint its consumers in this regard. The company swiftly swung into action
by launching various initiatives that provided consumers access to essentials
and guaranteed safe delivery of products to customers. A crucial aspect of the
company’s various initiatives is the effort of Jumia Heroes consisting of
frontline workers who ensured the continuous function of the platform for
customers’ convenience and satisfaction during lockdown and social distancing
enforcement.
Jumia’s Heros Fund was created to support frontline and
essential staff during this pandemic crisis. Through the contactless delivery
initiative, Jumia Heroes delivered millions of items while remaining safe and
making consumers safe, thanks to the adoption of contactless delivery methods.
This effort was further bolstered by JumiaPay, a cashless payment option which
aligned with the governments’ bid to reduce the risk of virus transmission
through physical cash.
Huge chunk of SMEs in Africa operate in the food and
beverage sector which is a very important segment of the African economy. Jumia
Heroes were crucial to the survival of the segment during the year, as Jumia
Food supported them to stay in business during the pandemic. Jumia Food also
partnered with groceries and supermarkets to leverage its platform in reaching
consumers and grow their businesses.
“COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that Jumia Food’s service
was not just a convenience but an essential service that bridged the gap for
consumers between getting hot meals & food delivered to their homes while
still staying safe and limiting physical contact. It was also a critical
lifeline for many restaurants that might have been forced to go out of business
when they could no longer operate. Jumia Food made it possible for them to shut
down physical restaurant space but keep their kitchen open and serve consumers
who order through Jumia Food app,” said Chairwoman of Jumia Nigeria and group
Head of Institutional Affairs, Juliet Anammah.
Jumia’s mission of connecting consumers and sellers is
anchored on solving distribution problems in Africa. With the effort of Jumia
Heroes, the company provided a logistics network for third party sellers to get
products delivered to consumers. Under the Jumia Heroes initiative, Jumia
coordinated the distribution of essential materials to healthcare facilities
and workers, leveraging the company’s last mile distribution. The company also
donated certified face masks to Nigerian Health Ministry, while Jumia logistics
networks were also used by several African governments to distribute health
pamphlets and key products to where they were needed.
The year 2020 showed and further elevated the role of the
often neglected efforts of logistics and delivery agents. Their role received
the essential tag it has always deserved, as they were crucial to keeping what
was left of business activities in the heat of covid-19 crisis. For Jumia,
these workers were branded Heroes and their efforts will continue to be
appreciated even in the post covid era.
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