E-commerce in Zimbabwe

E-commerce

E-commerce market

E-commerce has not yet taken off in Zimbabwe, particularly due to low internet penetration, but also because the culture of online purchasing hasn't been diffused in the country. Additionally, local courier services tend to be expensive and they usually don't deliver to remote areas. The little e-commerce that exists in the country is local and limited to urban areas, and there's virtually no cross-border e-commerce in Zimbabwe. There are some social media shops in the country, mainly on Facebook and Instagram. Hammer & Tongues, a local online shop, revealed that two-thirds of its buyers are male, the highest number of visitors are in the 35-44 age group, and 90% of transactions on the platform were made from Harare and Bulawayo (Tech Zim). Zimbabwean consumers are adopting payment methods such as Ecocash and Zipcash to pay within and outside the country's borders (Marketers Association Zimbabwe). Even though e-commerce hasn't taken off in Zimbabwe yet, the market is expected to improve in the medium term, particularly among the wealthier classes of consumers.