June 7, 2019: The DHL Africa eShop app has been rolled out in nine more countries, following its success in 11 countries across Sub Saharan Africa. The app is now available in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.

The DHL Africa eShop enables African customers to shop directly from over 200 online retailers based in the US and UK, and receive their parcels delivered through DHL Express. The solution was developed in partnership with Link Commerce – a division of Mall for Africa.

In the first phase, the app was rolled out in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritius, Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda, Malawi, Botswana, Sierra Leone and Uganda in April this year.

“The uptake and usage of this platform over the past seven weeks has been incredible, with exponential growth in subscribers and physical orders. Based on this rapid growth and the positive feedback that we have received from the market, DHL Express has decided to proceed to the next phase of the rollout as quickly as possible. The platform is now live for consumers in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia,” said Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa.

Heymans noted that there is a growing demand for world-class online retail services in Africa. “As one report by the McKinsey Global Institute shows, Africa has a fast-growing middle-class consumer market which is embracing the internet at an astonishing rate. By 2025, the projected internet market penetration is expected to reach around 50 percent for the continent, with around 360 million smartphones expected to be in circulation. DHL Africa eShop provides the perfect solution for African consumers to access global brands.”

The DHL Africa eShop app enables global brands to penetrate the African market that has been often overlooked due to the perception of high complexity and uncertainty.

“As the global leader in express logistics, DHL is well positioned to connect African consumers with these exciting global brands. We are committed to driving e-commerce growth on the continent on all fronts. We work with thousands of e-commerce brands in Africa, and help them to reach global customers, and now with our DHL Africa eShop, we also connect African consumer to global brands,” said Heymans.