Businesses on the African continent are increasingly keen to take advantage of the benefits of e-commerce online systems, according to an independent white paper.
The paper, "The Digital Savannah: Africa's e-commerce promise", commissioned by technology solutions provider Amadeus and authored by Arthur Goldstuck of market research company World Wide Worx, presents an in-depth look at trends and opportunities in the e-commerce space, especially in the context of corporate travel booking and payment systems.
The market research company polled more than 1 000 businesses across the continent to gauge their use of, and interest in, the opportunities presented by e-commerce.
"The research reveals a strong interest in online travel booking, with the roughly 50% of companies already doing so expected to grow to 70% in the short term," comments Goldstuck.
The paper identifies trends that shape decision-making and consumer behaviour as they relate to online shopping preferences and travel booking. These include the differences in preferences, cultural tendencies and priorities.
It elaborates that regional and country specific preferences show that the trends, overall, are visible throughout the continent, but to varying degrees in individual countries. The mobile phone, however, is one constant across all territories.
According to the paper, with the lack of conventional online access, millions of Africans have turned to their phones to take advantage of increasingly sophisticated mobile payment and banking services. This revolution is being led by the mobile networks that have a strong physical presence even in the most remote areas, as well as access to millions of existing customers.
Companies indicate that a focus on centralised travel booking and corporate policies drive their buying behaviour, with more than 80% of companies reporting strict policies and control over travel, the paper notes.
One of the telling findings of the research is that as many as 83% of companies centralise their travel procurement, although only 66% do so via a travel agency.
"We are committed to facilitating discussion on key industry trends around how the future of travel in Africa will be shaped," says Santiago Jimenez, director of sub-Saharan Africa at Amadeus. "This inaugural study out of our Regional Solution Centre shows that, despite the disparate preferences, environments and available infrastructure across the different countries, the overall potential for e-commerce is strong."
Goldstuck concludes that the common theme of 'Africa is not a country' is advice well heeded, as clearly no one solution suits all countries, consumers or companies.
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