Undoubtedly the giant of Africa - with an
estimated population of 194 million people, Nigeria remains the largest mobile
market in the continent - and still has more potential for growth and for
competing on a level-playing ground with the developed nations. Although the
economic growth of the country might not be as fast-paced as its counterparts’,
it is full of hopes and promises.
The mobile trends published in the 2017 Nigerian Mobile Report, by Jumia Nigeria - Africa’s biggest e-commerce
platform, provided some convictions for this belief. In summary, the report
examined how the market has
democratized mobile internet use, the consumer behaviors driving increased
smartphone adoption and the role of the different stakeholders within the
sector.
Jumia is set to release the 2018 edition of the
Mobile Report, which will focus on various mobile trends in the country and in
Africa at large. And Juliet Anammah, CEO, Jumia Nigeria is as excited as
everyone else about the report. But, while we patiently wait for the report
pending its release, let’s examine some facts and figures from the 2017 report.
There were about 150 million mobile subscribers
equivalent to 81per cent penetration (as a percentage of the population) in
2016. Internet penetration
was at 18per cent with 216 million internet users while Nigeria's internet
penetration was much higher at 53per cent; its mobile subscription was similar
to Africa's at 81per cent penetration (960 million mobile subscribers). To
benchmark this data, a similar report by the Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC) put the number of subscribers - by
the end of December 2016 - at 154 million. This subscriber base is a sum
total of all the active subscribers for telephony services on each of the
licensed service providers utilizing different technologies. The difference in
the number of subscribers presented by both reports can be attributed to the
lack of accurate census in the country.
Meanwhile,
the percentage of internet penetration widened increasingly; number of internet
subscribers peaked at 97.2 million (more than half the number of mobile
subscriptions) by end of 2016 - which represented a much higher penetration
rate than the rest of Africa combined. The subscriber base of internet users in
the country was predicted to increase by at least 30per cent by end of 2017.
With the number of Nigerians having access to the internet - mostly through smartphones - growing in
leaps and bounds, it’s a clear indication that there is a huge potential for
e-commerce in the country. For instance, Jumia recorded 394per cent growth on
the sales of smartphones between 2014 and 2016, mostly driven by an increasing
range of lower smartphones price points. And 71per cent of website visitors on
Jumia Nigeria in 2016 used their mobile phones to shop, whereas only 53per cent
of Jumia African customers did so.
Although,
the contribution of the telecom & mobile sector to the country’s GDP was
indeed a small fraction, according to a report by the NCC - only 9.13per cent
was directly or indirectly accrued from the sector. Yet, it is worthy of note
to mention that it was a great leap from the previous year. E-commerce
companies like Jumia - present in 15
African markets - are facilitating the promotion and distribution of both
high-end and low-end price points mobile phones in Nigeria. The NCC is not also
relenting in exercising its power to regulate the operations of the licensed
telecom operators especially in the area of voice & data tariff.
So, what is
the future of the telecom and mobile sector in Nigeria? To witness an
improvement over the previous years will require a collective, yet individual
effort from both the private and public sectors. Primarily, the growth of the
sector, among other things, depends on the availability of affordable mobile
phones & data tariff. To the former,
Jumia is committed - with its partners
- to facilitating and leading the charge in this regard.
The week of
March 15th - 25th, 2018 will be interesting and exciting for the entire country
for two reasons: the 2018 edition (4th report) of the Nigerian Mobile Report
will be released at a press conference; and secondly - although still related
to the first event is the commencement of Jumia Mobile Week (an entire week
dedicated to the sales of mobile phones at the best prices in Nigeria). Nothing beats the excitement of getting your
dream mobile phone at nearly half the price and such was the frenzy all over
the Nigerian cyberspace in 2017. From the moment you spot the juicy deals, the
swift race for the fastest fingers, the sigh of relief when you have
successfully placed your order and the short wait for your order to be
delivered. Last year, Jumia Mobile Week featured 3 mouth-watering flash sales
every day at nearly 50per cent off; both night crawlers and day troopers had a
piece of the pie. MTN also gave out free MTN 4G sim and 20per cent data bonus
on their data plan everytime you recharged for the first 3 months. There was also
juicy discounts on mobile brands like: Infinix at 40per cent off; Tecno at 20per
cent off; Motorola at 50per cent off, and Innjoo at 20 per cent off.
So,
this year, which brands will top the list of Jumia top selling mobile phones?
How much discounts will be available to customers and on what mobile brands?
How much money are you hoping to save during this year’s Mobile Week? Which
mobile phones will have the best deals this year? How much discount will Jumia
offer on purchases done on its mobile App? How do you get to participate in the
Treasure Hunt so as to win a coveted prize? How do you participate in the
fashion accessory giveaways on social media by your favourite fashion
celebrity/icon?
Your
guess is as good as mine. But, you will find answers to all of these questions
during the week of March 15th through
25th, 2018! Add it to your calendar. Join the conversation on social media
using the #JumiaMobileWeek2018, and follow @JumiaNigeria across all social
media platforms.
*Contributed by Laolu
Oloyede, Public Relations & Offline Marketing Department @Jumia
No comments:
Post a Comment