Rising number of mega shopping malls serious threat to e-Commerce—Shoppers
..As Shoprite hits 25th mall in Nigeria
Just as Shoprite Nigeria has announced the opening of its 25th store in Novare Central Shopping Mall, Abuja, industry analysts say rising visibility of shopping malls remains a serious threat to the expected surge in subscription to e-Commerce in the country.
A clear observation now in parts of emerging cities is the rising up of several brands of shopping malls with attractive service delivery and virtual realities that are far removed from the rather more rampant experiences of substandard deliveries and cases of wrong deliveries by e-Commerce platforms.
Already, several e-Commerce platforms both foreign and indigenous are having hard times now in Nigeria due to issues of trust, originality of products purchased online and to a larger extent, security crisis surrounding dispatch staff of e-Commerce firms.
In an interview with Mr. Lanre Adio, a shopper at one of the Lagos shopping malls weekend, he stressed that “Due to security issues around delivering ordered items, I find it hard to shop online even though it is becoming the practice in developed world where trust is key”.
“If you come here to shop, you see things yourself and make your choice with your cash or transfers via POS and other means than relaxing in your house only to be presented with what you may not like after paying online.
Explaining more in an interview, a banker, Lady Mrs. Dora Unongo said “There had been cases of wrong and or substandard supplies of paid goods on several e-Commerce and I do not want such nasty experience that is why I go shopping by myself”.
She argued that “Government must rightly regulate online e-Commerce shopping for Nigerians to get the best experience that will be better than all we see now”.
“They present sharp photos of faulty and substandard goods only to lure you into buying online. You will only notice it when delivered and the process of recovering the real product you have in mind takes another range of inconveniences which people like me cannot afford to run around. That is why I come to shop and run away from troubles.
Whereas some e-Commerce platforms had packed up, others are struggling to survive via mergers and acquisitions.
Observers say the competition between buying online and offline is getting hotter as many shopping malls chain stores are deepening their visibilities across Nigeria with more outlets to show for it.
Only last week, Shoprite unveiled its 25th outlet in Abuja and christened it a destination of choice for shoppers in the nation’s capital.
In a statement, Shoprite noted that “In addition to offering consumers the lowest prices on everyday grocery items, the new store also has an extensive range of quality products and a number of in-store fresh food departments including a meat market, bakery and fresh fruit and vegetables.”
The Branch Manager, Shoprite Nigeria, Musa Usman, made it clear that customers could save time by making use of the a wide range of services available at the in-store kiosk, including settling monthly payments with Quickteller.
According to him, “The trading hours in Shoprite Wuse is not different as the store opens to business from 9:00 to 21:00 from Mondays to Sundays”.
