Black Friday – Jumia Leads the Way in Africa
It's that time of year again! Around the world, Black Friday has become a global phenomenon and in this year’s post-Covid environment, we recognize that it is more important than ever to work with sellers to provide logistics support that will help to keep prices low despite an inflationary economy. Consumers can expect to see steep Black Friday discounts on a wide variety of items this year, as has been the case since Jumia first introduced Black Friday to Africa.
Through the years, Black Friday has grown exponentially as one of the most popular shopping events of the year. But how did it become so popular? Let's look at the role e-commerce has played in its expansion, as well as the commercial and marketing success that has made it the go-to event for holiday shopping in Africa and around the world.
The term "Black Friday" was first used in the early 1960s in the United States by police in Philadelphia to describe the chaotic scene that unfolded on the day after U.S. Thanksgiving. As retailers began offering early-bird specials and deals, shoppers hit the streets in search of bargains. The resulting traffic jams and overcrowded sidewalks quickly became a nightmare for law enforcement. Fortunately, Black Friday has a much more positive impact today!
While consumers certainly benefit from Black Friday, it is a big event for Jumia and other retailers as well. Thanks to the advent of e-commerce, shoppers no longer need to be physically present in a store to take advantage of special Black Friday deals. Instead, they can simply log onto their favorite retailer's website (think Jumia!) and shop from the comfort of their homes.
Jumia was one of the first companies to implement Black Friday in the continent in 2013 and 2014. In some African countries, many consumers think that Jumia created Black Friday since it is our biggest campaign event of the year with a lot of advertising and engagement.
Jumia’s Black Friday Festival 2021 and what’s next?
An estimated 20+ countries now have popular Black Friday promotions and global consumer demand is growing every year, as evidenced by statistics included in Jumia’s Black Friday infographic. Africa is celebrating these seasonal bargains as well -- thanks to Jumia.
Jumia’s Black Friday Festival 2022 will highlight international and local brands with amazing seasonal discounts to meet growing consumer demand. Last year’s theme was “It’s Black Friday, every Friday” with new deals unveiled every Friday leading up to “Last Chance” Cyber Monday.
Everyday products are expected to represent the largest retail categories in aggregate across Jumia’s 11 markets, confirming the shift that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fashion category is expected to be king for Black Friday, followed by Beauty and Home. FMCG and Phones should round up the top 5 product categories in terms of sales.
Black Friday at Jumia – By the Numbers
Highlights from 2021 Jumia’s Black Friday infographic include:
$150m GMV YoY growth
190m Black Friday video views
4.3m orders - +39% YoY growth
40m unique visitors -+27% YoY growth
46,000 sellers on platform
3x YoY GMV growth for top 20 physical goods sellers
A 2.7× YoY GMV growth for top 20 restaurants
International brands partnered with Jumia
5.3m packages handled
As Black Friday draws near, there’s a tremendous amount of excitement in the air at Jumia. We’re expecting this year to be more successful than ever in terms of the number of orders, sellers on our platform, brand partnerships, packages handled and much more - as the above statistics show.
It has been a rough few years in Africa due to the health pandemic, yet consumers have bounced back in grand style and proved their resiliency. Despite these challenging and inflationary times, people are ready to celebrate the holidays, and Black Friday represents the perfect occasion to make needed purchases. That said, it is important to note that consumers seek bargains. With that in mind, Jumia is committed to doing everything in our power to keep logistics costs down and support our seller community to make that possible.
In conclusion, Black Friday is a global phenomenon that shows no signs of slowing down. Thanks to e-commerce and retailers' marketing and commercial success, people around the world can participate in this event and take advantage of amazing deals on a wide variety of items.
About Jumia
We believe that technology has the potential to transform everyday life in Africa, for the better. We built Jumia to help consumers access millions of goods and services conveniently and at the best prices while opening a new way for sellers to reach consumers and grow their businesses.
Jumia is the leading e-commerce platform in Africa. Our marketplace is supported by our proprietary logistics business, Jumia Logistics, and our digital payment and fintech platform, JumiaPay. Jumia Logistics enables the seamless delivery of millions of packages while JumiaPay facilitates online payments and the distribution of a broad range of digital and financial services.
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