Africa Internet Group (AIG)-owned e-commerce companies Jumia and Kaymu have partnered to launch AIG Express, a fulfillment and delivery platform for online sellers in Africa.
AIG Express is a response from Jumia and Kaymu to the rapid growth of African e-commerce, aiming to integrate all existing logistics providers into a single network to meet the growing needs of online sellers across the continent.
“We’re currently delivering up to 100,000 packages a day for Jumia and Kaymu, and we expect this number to grow around five times by end of 2015. In order to provide convenient, fast and friendly customer service, we need to quickly scale up the delivery network,” said Indrek Heinloo, who is leading the initiative across Africa.
AIG believes the growth of e-commerce in Africa offers “unprecedented opportunities” for logistic companies, though currently many such companies face limitations in technology investments and skill development, preventing them from meeting current e-commerce standards.
The new venture intends to work closely with local logistics entrepreneurs to fill these gaps by implementing technology and training to handle e-commerce logistics.
“We have developed an approach which will help logistics companies in Africa become as effective as the companies in more developed markets. We provide a common platform that would link all logistics providers and enable serving the demand of online customers. Through consolidation of volumes from e-commerce platforms such as Jumia and Kaymu, we provide a constant stream of business which can help logistics companies to grow,” said Heinloo.
“We already have a number of companies incorporated to our network – from established logistics companies with decades of experience to newly created local ventures – several of which have been created by African entrepreneurs specifically on the backbone of Africa Internet Group’s businesses.”
