In recent years, the trend towards online shopping and the creation of virtual stores has grown markedly across the world, having also gained momentum with the restrictions on movement imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Angola is no exception and here, too, online business has become increasingly frequent and seen great advances.
The number of online purchases increases, year after year, in the country, a trend that appears as an alternative to growing unemployment. Even after the lifting of restrictions imposed by Covid-19, the new consumption trend continues to gain ground in the national market.
In 2022, the Interbank Services Company (EMIS) recorded a total amount of 2,8 billion Kwanza in online purchases, a growth of 5.807% compared to 2020, that is, 60 times more than the 47,6, 509.770 million Kz spent two years before. In the same period, a total of 16.685 transactions were registered, an increase of 3.037% compared to the 2020 transactions carried out in XNUMX.
Online commerce, also called electronic commerce, or e-commerce, is a type of business in which products are bought and sold over the internet, where all parties, selection, choice of address for delivery, form payment and product purchase are made remotely, through virtual platforms.
There are currently several virtual stores in the country that allow customers to select the product and make payment remotely using virtual payment methods, such as Multicaixa express, Paypal, Paypay, AnyPay, BayQi, and receive the order at home. In some cases payment can be made at the time of delivery.
In this type of operations, in some cases, the invoice is sent via online channels such as email or others. Purchases include everything from food, electronics, clothing, cosmetics, books and even hygiene products.
As for the stores that exist on the market, some are better known and others not so much. Buitanda, Quitanda, Que Rápido Angola, Stekargo, ITEC Angola, Ezandu, Angoshop, Lojabose are some of them.
Many of the large companies that operate in the national territory and already have physical stores saw the need to add a virtual store to their business to also sell online and keep up with market developments. These are the cases of NCR and the Kibabo supermarket, for example.
With the virtual store market growing, the danger of fraud also increases, as when purchasing online the customer does not have direct contact with the seller and often has no way of guaranteeing that the merchandise reaches them.
