Comerç electrònic al Congo

E-commerce

E-commerce market

E-commerce is still in its infancy in the Republic of the Congo, as the country lacks adequate ICT and online payment infrastructures. According to the Digital 2019 report for Congo by Hootsuite and WeAreSocial, online payment is barely used in the Republic of Congo: only 4.4% of the population has purchased on the internet or paid bills online, while a mere 4% of the population has a credit card (6.2% have a mobile money account). Furthermore, shipping is hard, especially outside major cities (in general there are no street addresses in rural area) and there are no suitable stocking facilities. The UN Conference on Trade and Development B2C E-commerce index ranks Congo 145th out of 151 countries and 38th in the African continent for its readiness and capacity to support online trade. B2B e-commerce is also almost non-existent.
Some companies – like GIA Markets, Nourishka et Brazza shop – recently started promoting their products online through social media platforms and specific apps.
Facebook has an estimated 670,000 users, Linkedin 96,000 and Instagram 74,000. Companies are increasingly using Facebook or other social media for advertising. Most social media users are men.