Jumia opens logistics service to third parties

Jumia has announced that its logistics services are now open to third party businesses who wish to leverage its network, technology and expertise for last-mile deliveries across Africa.

The third-party businesses would be able to use the unique logistics network of Jumia across to more customers in Lagos, Nigeria and other African countries.

This position was made in a statement made available to Lagos Business News where the Senior Vice President Logistics Services at Jumia, Apoorva Kumar acknowledged that Jumia’s logistics marketplace is uniquely adapted to Africa, based on two main pillars.

According to him, the first is its proprietary technology which aggregates demand and matches it with supply capacity based on several parameters like quality of service, reachability of network and cost of delivery.

The second pillar is its logistics network, which includes among its physical locations over 20 warehouses (north of 110 000 sqm) and more than 1,300 drop-off stations and pick-up stations, located across Jumia’s 11-country market, including in remote areas.

“Our technology and last-mile services have a wide coverage that enhances faster turnaround time, reliable handling of products and transparent reporting, all of which have contributed to the success of Jumia, both in urban and rural areas. We are proud to share this technology with a broader set of businesses and give them new opportunities to grow.”

“In 2019, Jumia processed more than 20 million packages, thanks to the seamless integration of more than 300 logistics partners of all sizes.

In addition, partnerships with players such as Total, Vivo Energy and Posta Kenya allow for an even wider presence across the 11 countries where Jumia operates on the continent.

“Businesses across the countries are re-examining their costs, especially during COVID-19. For many, logistics is a major cost driver and headache to manage. We have the right infrastructure, people, partnerships and technology required to help third parties and partners solve logistics and marketing challenges. We believe we can provide a better quality of service at a lower cost,” Kumar said.

Over the last few months, Jumia has been successfully piloting its offering with selected clients, from small businesses shipping a few packages every week to larger corporations.

Also, The Chief Executive Officer of Premier Food Industries Ltd Kenya, Joseph Choge said, “Our new partnership with Jumia forms an integral part of our strategy to grow our e-commerce sales in the next 5 years. Jumia’s unique ability to handle logistics – order management and processing, shipping and delivery and payments across the country to end-users has opened for us a new way to reach our consumers in a fast efficient and effective manner more so especially during this time of COVID-19 pandemic.”

A representative from the First City Monument Bank Limited (FCMB) Nigeria, Temitope Onibaniyi, said, “Jumia is facilitating the deliveries of our ‘Home Card delivery service’ via road and air freight to customers across Nigeria. We see a lot of value in Jumia’s supply chain solution; Technology integration with Jumia ensures close to real-time visibility and a secure last-mile delivery process of card products.”