With her graduation only a month away, Seun* decided it was time to treat herself to a new dress. Aware of the risks tied to online shopping, she felt a month was enough time to handle any issues.
She browsed Instagram and found a dress she loved. After chatting with the seller, she made her payment and was assured it would arrive within a week.
Two weeks later, the dress was nowhere to be found. The vendor responded to her inquiries with vague reassurances. When the package finally arrived—just three days before her graduation—Seun was dismayed to find the dress was the wrong size and completely different from what she had ordered.
When she messaged the seller to complain, she was ignored and eventually blocked.
Unfortunately, Seun’s experience is far from unique. Many shoppers across Africa have similar tales of disappointment from online vendors who either misrepresent products or fail to deliver quality.
Having learned her lesson, Seun now avoids Instagram sellers and only shops on one or two trusted platforms.
The Trust Problem in E-Commerce
Despite the steady growth of the e-commerce sector, distrust among customers continues to hinder its full potential.
Alastair Tempest, CEO of the Ecommerce Forum of Africa, highlights several challenges facing the industry: low internet penetration, high broadband costs, and significant distrust of online transactions. While connectivity issues are being addressed, trust remains an unresolved barrier.
In 2020, African consumers spent $10 more on e-commerce platforms compared to previous years—a trend attributed to the pandemic’s impact on physical stores. Spending is expected to rise by another $5 by 2022. However, one can only imagine how much higher this growth could be if consumers had greater confidence in online shopping.
Take Maria*, for example. After ordering a skirt from a Twitter vendor, she ended up spending extra money to have it altered because it looked nothing like the product advertised.
With countless stories of unreliable service, the question lingers: can e-commerce achieve its true potential without addressing the trust gap?
While online shopping offers convenience, the cost of dealing with subpar experiences continues to weigh heavily on consumers.
Names have been changed to protect identities.
