Colossus Gists

The aviation sector is key to the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry as over 57% of international tourists now travel by air. It is, therefore, not a surprise that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently said that air transport contributed $8.2 billion to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.

This figure will no doubt increase astronomically if Nigeria’s aviation sector can be repositioned for better service delivery. However, before this can be achieved, there are certain challenges that need to be addressed.

The first point of call for any international tourist is the airport. Hence, it has to offer first class services right from the point of entry. Nobody wants to visit a place where they will be harassed by the airport, customs or immigration officials like it is the case in some Nigerian airports.

A smart and tech solution to largely bypass some of these officials in the interim is for you to book your flight with Jumia’s hotel and flight services arm, Jumia Travel and ensure that you check-in early.

Jumia Travel has simplified the task by enabling you to search domestic and international flights offered by major airlines in Africa at the cheapest price. You can also find and compare flights, book/buy flights and buy air tickets online with ease using Jumia Travel.

This will not only save you a lot of time but will also ensure that you get through security quicker without too many hassles at the airport.

Unequivocally, the aviation sector is capital intensive. To run an airline, you need millions if not billions of dollars in your coffers. As such, quite a number of local airlines with huge potentials have gone under.

Beyond refurbishing the airport, airlines especially the local ones have to partner. The truth is only a handful of airlines can survive without partnership. On the government’s part, they need to consider granting the airlines' tax breaks.

Ultimately, this partnership will reduce airfares thus encouraging more Nigerians to travel. This automatically means that the hospitality/travel business will be smiling to the bank.

The increase in internet and mobile penetration, as well as affordability of smartphones in Nigeria, have prompted a lot of businesses and companies to invest and launch mobile apps. The Jumia Mobile Report 2018 confirmed that mobile penetration increased from 53% in 2016 to 84% in 2018 while the cost of phones sold on Jumia was priced at an average of $216 in 2016, and by 2017 the price had gone down to $100.

With more and more smartphones in the hands of consumers, they are more likely to use their mobile apps for shopping. This is actually true as the Jumia Mobile report discovered that 79% of customers accessed the Jumia website via their mobile, 18% via desktop and 3% via tablet.

Six Benefits of Using a Mobile App Whenever you Shop

1. Little data needed for installation

One important reason why some people do not download certain apps is because of the data required for its installation. To download some apps, you need as much as 30 to 40 Mb. This is not the case with the Jumia mobile App. For just 7.5 Mb, you will have the Jumia app on your phone!

2. Low data consumption during browsing

We all want to manage our data. So, we avoid any website or app that will 'eat' it up. The Jumia Mobile app does not consume data, plus you will enjoy smoother and faster browsing. Shop more on low data with the Jumia Mobile App.

3. Enjoy an additional 5% discount

Jumia Pay is Jumia's response to customer demand for easy and secure payment solutions. Therefore, to encourage you to use the Jumia mobile app whenever you shop, Jumia Pay will offer you 5% off your order. To enjoy this 5%, you should select Jumia Pay as a payment method.

4. Mouthwatering discounts on treasure hunt & flash sales

Jumia offers fantastic discounts on different products and the only way you can enjoy the discount is when you use the mobile app. You will enjoy a 99% discount off products with Treasure Hunt. For example, the Jumia Home Makeover kicked off on Monday, March 11th and on Thursday & Friday, March 14th & 15th, you can buy a Scanfrost washing machine which cost 45k for N500. The same goes for the flash sales, you will get 50% off.

5. Enjoy exclusive access to daily app vouchers

Jumia gives out a lot of app vouchers every day. You can only use the voucher when you shop with the app. No App, no voucher. Imagine buying a 30k appliances and get 2k off your order. In addition, you can also get 5% off if you use Jumia Pay.

6. Exclusive product launch + deals on the app

By activating the push notification of your Jumia mobile app, you will get exclusive information about Jumia product launch and deals on the app. Due to this information, you will be the first to buy these exclusive products and enjoy the deals.

Sandeep Narayanan, Director of Consumer Electronics &Romain Christodoulou, Senior Vice President, Jumia Group- Wang Xiang, Senior Vice President, Xiaomi Corporation, Wang Lingmings, Vice President, Xiaomi Corporation

Jumia, Africa’s leading e-commerce platform, has signed an important partnership with technology leader Xiaomi at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, giving millions of users in Africa easy access to Xiaomi products.

Through the partnership, Jumia will open the Mi official store on its platform and give Xiaomi access to millions of online customers across 14 countries in the continent, while Jumia will be able to offer Redmi Go (1GB+8GB) exclusively in Africa as well as other devices later in the year. The partnership will be supported by an ambitious joint-marketing plan over the full year 2019, leveraging Jumia’s digital assets and Xiaomi marketing capabilities, including the Mi fan community. This is the promising first step to a close partnership between both companies over the years to come.

“This partnership is very important for us, as it will definitely foster the smartphone adoption in Africa as well as support e-commerce penetration. Xiaomi and Jumia have very similar internet DNA and will serve a common purpose: delivering the best in class affordable smartphones along with the best shopping experience. This will be very beneficial for both companies and above all for the consumers in Africa”, said Jumia Group’s Senior Vice President Mr Romain Christodoulou, during the signing ceremony.

“We believe in working with companies that share our values and delighted to partner with Jumia to reach more Mi fans across Africa,” said Wang Xiang, Senior Vice President of Xiaomi.

“The e-commerce model is part of Xiaomi’s DNA and we believe that working with Jumia will help us bring innovation for everyone across the continent.”

Reacting to the news, the chief executive officer of Jumia Nigeria, Mrs Juliet Anammah described the partnership as coming in the nick of time, when Nigeria was listed among 7 countries that would contribute 700 million new mobile subscribers to hit the 6 billion mobile subscribers mark in the world by 2025.

“Availability of lower price point smartphones such as Xiaomi will deepen smartphone penetration in the country and help the country in meeting its 4% quota of the 700 million new global mobile subscribers, as predicted by GSMA Intelligence,” she added.

The partnership will initially cover Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Morocco, and Ghana, and aim to cover all other countries where Jumia operates. Most markets will be directly supplied from China, confirming the fast expansion of intercontinental trade in Africa.

Africa has seen the rise of affordable entry-level devices from price-focused brands especially from China, which remains a key driver of smartphone adoption in the continent. Smartphone penetration in Africa stood at approximately 36% in 2018, with the number expected to reach about 66% by 2025.

from Left to Right: Guy Futi, Managing Director, Jumia Food, Chioma Odimegwu, Head of Marketing and Vendor Success, Jumia Food and Jumia Party Nigeria, Omolara Adagunodo, Managing Director, Jumia Travel & Olukayode Kolawole, Head Public Relations, Jumia

Jumia's hotel & flight marketplace has announced that booking for four and five-star hotels peaked during the just concluded Black Friday which ran between November 2nd and November 30th, 2018.

The Managing Director of Jumia’s hotel & flight marketplace, Omolara Adagunodo made this announcement during a press conference held at Krispy Kreme, Victoria Island, Lagos, to review the outgoing year and to disclose the plans for 2019.

“We recorded over 50% increase in 4 & 5-star booking during Black Friday because we crashed the prices by almost 80% and overall booking grew by 20% year on year compared to black Friday 2017", Adagunodo said.

Speaking on the performance of flight for the year under review, Adagunodo said:

"There was a 300% growth in flight business because we innovated and partnered with the likes of Amadeus, Kiwi.com and Air Peace among others. I must also mention that we have the Best Available Rates as we hit 61% in BAR for 2018."

For corporate booking, the managing director said:

“We established a robust corporate team fully dedicated to our corporate clientele and I can tell you that corporate bookings and transactions increased by 50%. Despite this, it has not stopped us from pushing retail sales."

Looking forward to the upcoming year, Adagundo disclosed the marketplace is planning to work on value-added services to drive value for the growing clientele, seal key partnerships to drive online and offline sales and offer a full bouquet of travel solutions to include cruises, visas, concierge and ground transport.

About Jumia

Our mission is to improve the quality of everyday life in Africa by leveraging technology to deliver innovative, convenient and affordable online services to consumers while helping businesses grow as they use our platform to reach and serve consumers. Jumia is the leading pan-African e-commerce platform active in six regions (14 countries).

Our platform consists of our marketplace, which connects sellers with consumers, our logistics service, which enables the shipment and delivery of packages from sellers to consumers, and our payment service, which facilitates transactions among participants active on our platform in selected markets.

In this digital age, online marketplaces have been thriving, and have been a great place for independent retailers and vendors to sell more of their products and also build their brand.

A company like Jumia, Nigeria's no 1 shopping destination has made it easier for retailers to sell online via its marketplace. Today on the platform, there are thousands of vendors selling a wide variety of products and services that are leveraging on the Jumia platform to get Return On Investment. The process for signing up is seamless.

Despite this, there are still a handful of Nigerians who are still contemplating signing up to a marketplace. Below are some of the reasons you need to sign up now.

Increase sales

Who doesn’t want to increase their sales and profits? Well, taking advantage of e-commerce (selling online) can do just that. If you have inventory that isn’t selling take it online, there is great potential to increase your sales.

New customers

Selling online is a great chance to expand your presence and reach more customers. 80% of people who use the internet are shopping and by listing on a marketplace you can get your products in front of those shoppers. So if you want to go where people are shopping, the marketplace is an easy way to do that.

Sense of community

When you sell on a marketplace you become a part of a community filled with other independent sellers, vendors and retailers. But it’s not just other sellers, it gives you a chance to build a following of customers that are both local and global. You can also use marketplaces as a way to connect with other sellers that are similar to you or sell locally like you.

Increased Reach

So many Nigerians own smartphones that are internet enabled and a significant number of them use it to shop online. So just think about that for a second. You have the ability to reach millions of people daily. This is a good way to grow your business.

Low cost

There are going to be fees associated with using marketplaces to list your products but they are generally low, and they can cost you less than holding excess inventory.

Dozens of free spa and travel tickets to be won; concert tickets giveaways; and free data and party packs

Lagos, Nigeria; 05 December 2018: Jumia Nigeria has announced the commencement of its end of year campaign aimed towards encouraging Nigerians to shop for the Christmas season. Tagged ‘Jumia Christmas Sale’, the campaign which will run till the 16th of December only on the Jumia App, will offer free spa and travel tickets courtesy of Jumia Travel, concert tickets courtesy of Jumia Party; party packs courtesy of Jumia Food, and free data courtesy of Jumia One, to Christmas shoppers on Jumia.

In addition, Jumia is introducing a first-of-its-kind 1-day shopping event on the 12th of December as the finale sale of the year, dedicated to offering 12 mega flash sales, starting from 12 midnight (Wednesday 12.01am). Shoppers will have the opportunity to buy some of their most wanted items on their Christmas wish list at extremely low discounts. Jumia’s 12/12 will also offer shoppers 12 treasure hunts at 99% off with 5 Iphone XS for N4,200 at midnight, range of home/cooking appliances and a chance to hunt their 13th-month salary worth N100,000 on the day.

The itinerary for the campaign was disclosed at the Jumia corporate office in Ikeja by the chief executive officer, Mrs Juliet Anammah. She identified some of the brand partners for the campaign to include: HP, Intel, Huawei, Midea, and TCL.

"Christmas is the time for Nigerians to celebrate with family and friends. They desire to have everything they want to have a joyous and exciting Christmas. To make this wish become a reality, Jumia has stocked a large collection of gift items, appliances, groceries, clothing, and Christmas decorating ornaments at the best prices in collaboration with our partners.

This is in a bid to ensure that shoppers enjoy convenience, quick delivery and best price throughout the Christmas period. It does not only ends there, but every Jumia shopper will also stand a chance of winning amazing free gifts for themselves," she said.

Olamide Amosu, Head of Engagement Marketing Jumia Nigeria who also provided more details about the campaign, said:

“Christmas is all about giving and sharing. In line with this, there is something to win for shopping on Jumia throughout the period of the Christmas sale campaign.

Some of which are free shopping vouchers, return ticket to Accra, tickets to Simi Live in Lagos courtesy of Jumia travel, 100 packs of food courtesy of Jumia food, free airtime courtesy of Jumia one and a lot more via the Jumia app."

Jumia’s promise is to offer Nigerians everything they need for Christmas on its platform with 7 days free returns window on all orders placed on Jumia.

December is here and a good number of people love the last month of the year regardless of their religious beliefs. This is because there will be quite a handful of holidays, a lot of giving, gifting and sharing not only by individuals but also by corporate organisations and the ambience will be celebratory.

Interestingly, gifting has become a trend for the yuletide to show appreciation to clients, loyal customers as well as groom or nurture relationships for the upcoming year. And corporate organisations and individuals are constantly searching for affordable and convenient ways to gift without breaking the bank. eCommerce is the solution.

Convenient Christmas Gifting

eCommerce has already disrupted the way Nigerians make their purchases. Across the country, you will find not only millennials but also digital immigrants ordering items on Jumia, Nigeria's no 1 shopping destination.

Corporate gifting is not an exception here as organisations can outsource their gifting plans to an eCommerce company like Jumia. Jumia, in turn, takes the responsibility of delivering the best gifts notwithstanding if it is modern or traditional, at the most affordable price. Beyond this, Jumia assists you with the choice of product, discount requests, ensure availability and delivery. This will enable organisations to focus on offering sterling services to client and customers during the whole yuletide.

Alternatively, organisations can sign up to Jumia Corporate in which they will get the highest level of support/dedicated account manager, fast shipping nationwide, electronic invoicing, exclusive offers (employee incentive solutions, rewards solutions), effective return policy, access to express delivery options and largest assortment of products in Nigeria with over 2,000,000 products.

Gifts for Christmas

Christmas gifts can either be traditional or modern depending on who you are giving. However, in Nigeria, the most shared Christmas gifts include rice, oil, hampers and promotional/customised gifts which you can buy on Jumia. Whatever the gifts you are giving, the most important things is for you to personalize it.

Tips For Giving The Best Christmas Gifts

Choosing effective and impactful corporate gifts for your clients and customers is not as difficult as many believe. Just follow these few tips and get the best gifts.

(a) Don't buy gifts that will end up in the trash: most companies have the basics handled. The world has gone digital, and your clients don't need a calendar to put on the wall near their desk. Unless they are a car enthusiast and you gave them images of their favourite automobiles, it's not likely that they'll hang your company calendar next to their desktop.

(b) Personalise it: you should try to include your business name on your corporate gift. There are no problems with a branded gift so long as it is tactful and provides value at home or in the office.

(c) Do think of something your client will appreciate: be thoughtful. Developing a rapport with your clients is important throughout the year. Use the holidays as an opportunity to let them know you were listening.

The Managing Director of Jumia's Hotel & Flight Marketplace, Omolara Adagunodo has applauded the Lagos State House of Assembly for passing the bill to establish the Lagos State Tourism Promotion Agency.

Adagunodo stated this while speaking to some stakeholders within the industry at a tourism roundtable in Lagos.

"Lagos is a tourism hub and it is high time the state had a robust agency to promote tourism. The recently passed bill setting up the Lagos State Tourism Promotion Agency and Connected Purposes is arriving at the appropriate time when tourism's contribution to the national economy is evolving and dedicating an agency to the promotion of tourist hubs in Lagos will undoubtedly increase tourism contribution to the economy," Adagunodo said.

She added:

"The bill will further boost the status of the state as a one-stop destination for local and international tourists and help in the promotion of various destinations and attractions in the state including the National Theatre, Lekki Conservation, Badagry, and Tarkwa Bay Beach among many others."

The 54-section bill spells out some of the objectives of the new agency:

"Promote, market and develop the state domestically and internationally as a major tourist destination by highlighting its uniqueness and assisting the development of its tourism products and services. Develop and promote the state as a premier travel and tourist destination; attract and increase tourist arrivals and direct tourism investment and identify and develop potential tourism destination in the state."

While encouraging Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to assent to the bill as soon as possible, Adagunodo urged other state houses to take a queue from Lagos and begin the process of setting up a tourism promotion agency.