Jumia’s online retail business in Kenya is recording strong growth beyond the country’s capital, with physical-goods sales increasing by 23% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026. The development highlights the growing importance of smaller cities and underserved markets in Africa’s e-commerce industry.
The growth comes as the e-commerce company prepares for its 2026 Black Friday campaign, one of its major annual sales events aimed at attracting new customers and increasing online transactions.
According to reports on the company’s Kenyan operations, 67.6% of its active customers are located outside Nairobi, suggesting that online shopping is gaining traction among consumers beyond the country’s largest commercial centre.
The figures offer an interesting insight into how digital retail is evolving across Africa, where businesses are increasingly looking beyond major urban markets to find new customers.
E-commerce Growth Is Moving Beyond Major Cities
For years, many online retailers have concentrated their marketing, logistics and customer acquisition efforts on major cities.
However, Jumia’s Kenyan performance suggests that this approach may be changing.
Consumers outside Nairobi are increasingly participating in online shopping, creating new opportunities for retailers to expand their customer base.
This shift is particularly significant in markets where physical retail infrastructure and access to specialised products can be limited.
Online marketplaces can bridge some of these gaps by connecting consumers with products and sellers that may not be readily available in their immediate locations.
For Jumia, reaching customers beyond Nairobi also provides an opportunity to increase its market presence and strengthen its position in Kenya’s competitive retail industry.
Black Friday Presents Another Sales Opportunity
Jumia’s latest growth comes ahead of its 2026 Black Friday campaign.
Black Friday has become an important sales period for African e-commerce businesses, offering retailers an opportunity to attract first-time buyers, reactivate existing customers and increase transaction volumes.
Promotional campaigns, discounted products, targeted advertising and improved delivery experiences are among the strategies online retailers use to encourage purchases.
For Jumia, the campaign provides an opportunity to build on its growing customer base and turn increased online shopping activity into additional sales.
However, converting promotional interest into long-term customer relationships remains an important challenge for e-commerce businesses.
What This Means for African Businesses
Jumia’s performance offers several lessons for businesses operating in Nigeria and other African markets.
1. Look Beyond Major Commercial Cities
Businesses should not assume that their best customers are necessarily located in the country’s largest cities.
Consumers in smaller cities and towns also have purchasing power and increasingly expect convenient access to products and services.
For Nigerian businesses, this could mean exploring opportunities in cities such as Owerri, Enugu, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Uyo and other growing urban centres.
2. Make Delivery Part of Your Sales Strategy
Attracting customers is only one part of online selling. Businesses must also make it possible for customers to receive their purchases conveniently.
Reliable delivery, transparent shipping costs and clear communication can significantly influence purchasing decisions.
3. Invest in Customer Acquisition Beyond Social Media
Social media advertising can generate substantial attention, but businesses should also explore search engine visibility, referral programmes, email marketing and partnerships.
A broader customer acquisition strategy can help retailers reach consumers who may not regularly engage with their social media pages.
4. Focus on Repeat Purchases
Acquiring a customer once does not guarantee long-term business growth.
Online retailers should invest in customer service, personalised recommendations, loyalty incentives and post-purchase communication to encourage repeat transactions.
Is Africa’s Next E-commerce Opportunity Outside Its Biggest Cities?
Jumia’s Kenyan performance raises an important question for the wider African retail industry: are online retailers overlooking significant opportunities outside major commercial centres?
As internet access, digital payments and delivery infrastructure continue to develop, consumers in smaller cities could become an increasingly important part of the continent’s online shopping market.
For businesses looking to expand, the opportunity may not always be in competing for the same customers in Lagos, Nairobi or Johannesburg.
It may be in reaching consumers that established retailers have yet to serve effectively.
Jumia’s latest figures provide an interesting indication of this potential. For African businesses, the message is clear: growth opportunities may exist far beyond the markets they traditionally target.
