Jumia, the leader in e-commerce in Ghana, has seen its fortunes grow in recent times thanks largely to the deployment of innovative concepts into its operations.

One such innovation that has seen patronage of the e-commerce giant’s products and services is the concept of cash-on-delivery.

This payment service which ensures that customers pay for their items purchased on the Jumia platform on delivery has been a driving force behind the rapid growth and acceptance of Jumia’s platform as a reliable customer-centred business.

Although mobile money service as a means of payment for purchases made on Jumia continues to grow, cash-on-delivery remains the preferred choice of most customers.

For instance, whereas mobile money payments accounted for 38 percent of all purchases on Jumia in 2018, according to the 2019 Jumia Mobile Report, cash-on-delivery accounted for 59 percent of all payments with other forms of payment like cards and bank transfers, making up the rest. 

Explaining the rationale behind Jumia’s decision to use such innovative tactics as cash-on-delivery to drive growth, Ore Odusanya, the Country Manager of Jumia Ghana says “Our ultimate goal is to strive to increase adoption of our services, to build trust and improve the shopping experience of our customers.” “For us, cash-on-delivery is one such innovations that will ensure that we reach the unbanked or those outside the mainstream financial sector” he adds. 

Ghana, with an unbanked population of around 70 percent of the populace, will for a long time see e-commerce businesses depend on such means of payment as cash-on-delivery and mobile money to serve the interest of especially for the underserved segment of the populace.