We’ve all been there; we see a nice pair of shoes on the internet and we go ‘Oooh!’, but when we get to the store they aren’t available. Well, no more! We did some research and found out what items are most popular in eCommerce currently and also predicted which ones will be faring well in 2024.
There are dozens of eCommerce platforms in Nigeria with an assortment of items being sold. We decided to focus mainly on Jumia, Konga, and Jiji. We sieved through the data they provide to come up with the most popular products in each category. Here are some of them:
Table of Contents
1. Apparel
According to Nigeria, apparel is their number 1 selling product category in Nigeria today. When you look at it closely you will realize that clothing has a lot more sub-categories that contribute to its sales volume. They include Tops, Blouses, Shirts & Tees, Jeans, Skirts, Dresses, Churidars, etc. Jumia leads the pack with a total sales of over 200 Million nairas in 2016 from these sub-categories alone.
2. Shoes
Nigerians love shoes! That explains why there are so many shoe shops popping up everywhere these days. In Nigeria today, you will find anything from casual shoes to heels and even skateboards on sale online. We chose running as our representative category which is highly popular with Jumia selling over 27 Million pairs last year alone.
3. Electronics & Home appliances
This was a surprise for me personally because until recently I considered mobile phones as the most important electronic product bought in Nigeria Online today, but it’s actually TVs that take the cake. TVs and Home appliances, in general, account for a total of 77 Million Naira in sales across Jumia, Konga, and Jiji in 2016.
4. Headphones
Headphones are among the cheapest items for sale online with most sellers rolling them out at around a 10% profit margin (including shipping). You can see why they are so popular right? Nigeria today sees over 15 Million units sold annually across these 3 marketplaces. If you want to cash in on this trend, take advantage of our newest post on top-selling audio items here.
5. Books
This one was not difficult to predict because reading is something that easily translates into eCommerce phenomena like we’ve experienced in China with their ‘Singles Day’ sales event. Jumia leads the book category with an annual sale of over 80 Million nairas across Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya.
6. Beauty & Personal Care
It’s no surprise that personal care products are trending this year with a total sales volume of over 30 Million Naira across the three marketplaces we considered in 2016. The key beauty product and #1 selling item is Fresh Cream which alone accounts for over 15 Million Naira in annual sales on Jiji alone! This goes to show how important it is to know your audience when planning your eCommerce strategy.
7. Home Furniture
In case you’re wondering what products will sell best online in 2024, experts have predicted that furniture will be among the top-selling items on Nigeria’s eCommerce marketplaces. Well, from the look of things Jiji is leading this product category with a total sales volume of over 60 Million Naira in 2016. This trend is no surprise as the cost of housing and decorating has been on a steady rise for some time now across Nigeria and it only makes sense if we see an increase in online stores dealing with home decor and marts…
8. Laptops & Computers
When it comes to tech gadgets, Nigeria is a tech-savvy country with a large percentage of the population using laptop computers for school and work-related purposes. In 2016, Konga has a total sales volume in this category of over 150 Million nairas surpassing Jumia by more than 50 Million Naira. There’s every reason why you should cash in on this trend if you’re planning to start an online business in Nigeria today.
9. Musical Instrument
This was another one I wasn’t expecting to see so high on the list but looking at the numbers alone you can see why it’s not far-fetched for this trend to catch on soon. Across Konga, Jiji & Jumia Nigeria, Musical instruments account for 10Million Naira worth of annual sales today. If you want to cash in on this category now before it blows up later, see our new post which gives valuable tips on how top-selling brands are doing just that.
10. Sports & Fitness
There are over 3 Million people working out and following sports in Nigeria today so this was a logical addition to the list. The key product here is sports shoes which alone account for over 8 Million Naira in sales on Jiji and Konga combined. Asides from Fitness and gym equipment, Sports accessories like watches also see good demand on all three marketplaces we considered.
Conclusion
As you can see, eCommerce is exploding all across Africa with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This post gives you some idea of what products might sell best online in Nigeria tomorrow (and beyond) but remember that trends change quickly. What’s hot today could be gone tomorrow while new trends emerge to take their place…
