Top online shopping websites in Nigeria

Posted by Felix Okoli on Tuesday September 30, 2014 at 9:8:24:

Ebay and Amazon are pretty popular names in most parts of the world but in Nigeria, there is a growing number of local champions.

Online shopping has been gaining momentum in Nigeria for more than 2 years now and it's allowing Nigerians to buy goods and services through the convenience of the internet.

Admittedly the concept of doing transactions across the internet has always been a field best left to developed nations, those countries whose information technology mechanisms and financial systems possess the necessary flexibility to make this possible.

Over the last few years however, the online shopping trend has spread beyond the borders of privileged countries in the west. A few years back window shopping was the only interaction most Nigerians had with the world of online shopping, the few minutes to hours spent ogling at goods and services on a website that one had neither the means of making payments to nor the method of acquiring their purchases.

That isn�t the case today; where the online shopping trends in Nigeria once revolved around a select few people who had to part with exorbitant sums of money to make purchases from online stores based in foreign nations, a whole slew of online shopping stores based in Nigeria have emerged over the past few years.

Online stores offering Nigerians the opportunity to utilize local currency to purchase all manner of goods at a decent fee; the deluge of online stores in Nigeria is such that it has more or less changed the way many Nigerian communities transact, some of the best online shopping websites in Nigeria including the following:

Buyam: Buyam somewhat differs from the typical online store; rather than avail their own goods, the website is an intermediary, connecting a buyer to his or her favorite traditional store. They purpose in adding convenience to the shopping game, displaying products from physical stores on their website, allowing customers to make purchases online and have their goods delivered to their doorstep.

Granted Buyam is still finding its bearings in the market, only recently achieving true acceptance; the website none the less eliminates the stress of having to commute to your favorite store to make purchases.

Jumia Nigeria: Jumia is an industry leader in the online shopping arena; located in Lagos, Jumia boasts a large offering of products in all areas, from fashion to electronics, movie tickets and even wines. Joining Jumia is free, with members of jumia.com.ng empowered to make purchases and have their orders delivered for a fee, that is unless the cost of purchases exceeds a specified minimum amount, in which case delivery is free.

Konga- Konga is the only website in Nigeria that can compete with Jumia on a level playing field; an online store for general shopping, offering a wide variety of goods from food to computers and clothing, Konga operates within most Nigerian cities and will deliver to a considerable portion of the country.

Slot Nigeria Limited- Slot limited was already a household name in the electronics business, specializing in phones, computers and other gadgets, before it made the leap to the internet; the success of slot limited is hardly a surprise, with its fame as a offline store transferring to the internet, many of its loyal customers more than happy to finally ease the process of doing business with the website through the click of a mouse. Slot has a physical store as well as an online presence unlike most other shopping websites in Nigeria and so you can actually walk into any of their numerous stores to pickp up a phone or electronic gadget and pay cash apart from buying it online.

Taafoo - Taafoo is a lot like slotlimited in that it specializes in a single field, fashion in this case. Current figures seem to suggest that Taafoo just might be Nigeria�s biggest online fashion store, not only popular for their trendy products but their determination to provide timely deliveries of purchases.

That being said the store has attracted some criticisms about the less than impressive design of its website and the poor quality imagery used to display its items.

Kamyu- Kamyu has offices in Lagos and avails an inventory of general items for sale from mobile phones to computers, jewelry, beauty products and health related items.

Sunglasses.com.ng - sunglasses, as its name denotes, focuses primarily on sunglasses; if you are looking for trendy eye wear that will provide protection against the deadly rays of the sun, then look no further than sunglasses. It is a one stop online shopping center for all sunglasses needs.

HelloFood - HelloFood specializes in ready to eat food; the website boasts a wide chain of restaurants from which one can choose to meet their culinary needs, not only making orders but having their food delivered in a timely manner. Opening a HelloFood account is free and a fee is charged for delivery. HelloFood�s primary role is to provide access to restaurants and make deliveries, availing a variety of menus to choose from. They do not actually cook and provide the food themselves.

Shopaholic NG - Shopaholic is an online fashion store, specializing in clothes and related accessories for men and women, this including fragrances, shoes and bags.

Walahi - Walahi is all about books; anyone interested in losing themselves in the wide world of literature and the written word need look no further than Walahi, the online store providing books in all categories, this including education and tourism.

Walahi makes deliveries and will accept cash and bank deposits as well as online card payment methods.

Mystore.com.ng - Mystore is a general online shopping store with a wide range of items on offer from office supplies to mobile phones and fashion. With payment options including gift cards and cash. Mystore also makes deliveries to your office or home.

Dealdey - Dealdey isn�t quite like your typical online shopping website. Dealdey will offer a wide range of products, but at discounted prices by relying on the power of wholesale buyers. They provide access to almost any product or service that one can think of. Dealdey is one of the most affordable online stores in Nigeria and its prices are one of the lowest.

Kara - Kara is a Nigerian online shopping website that focuses on electronics such as power systems, computers and home appliances.

Summary
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Online shopping in Nigeria is a fast growing trend and its popularity is justified; with a few buttons and mouse clicks one is not only availed access to a wide variety of goods and services, but these products can be purchased and delivered to one�s door step. The chance to do business with the local currency is also a powerful attraction, that and the time and energy saved not having to make the long journey to one�s local shopping center.