Zipline, the world’s largest instant delivery service and Jumia, the leading e-commerce platform in Africa, on Thursday announced a collaboration to deploy automated, on-demand delivery for e-commerce in Africa.
Apoorva Kumar, EVP Jumia, Group COO said in a statement, said the collaboration would integrate Zipline’s automated, on-demand delivery system with Jumia’s existing distribution network.
Kumar said the collaboration would enable customers to receive instant, on-demand delivery of exactly the products they wanted, exactly when they wanted them and from the comfort of their homes.
He said the pilot programme and testing was launched a few months ago in Ghana.
“Using the latest instant logistics technology will allow Jumia to offer our consumers on-demand delivery of the products they need – instantly.
‘’Whether they are ordering electronics, fashion, health, and beauty, or other categories, Zipline’s instant logistics system will provide fast and convenient access.
‘’This will support Jumia’s commitment to sustainability and innovation and provide much-needed access to rural and remote areas where conventional delivery services have challenges,’’ he said.
Kumar said that an initial pilot was carried out across multiple use cases with varying product assortment logging up to 2,500km in testing.
He said that eventual plans call for expansion to Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, and ultimately to other countries in the future.
Daniel Marfo of Zipline Africa, said that Zipline was pleased to partner with Jumia to use instant logistics to improve the lives of customers across Africa.
Marfo said that this collaboration would increase access to goods for customers and help small and medium sized businesses grow.
He said that Zipline’s safe and efficient instant logistics system would make shopping on Jumia even more convenient, sustainable and accessible for its customers.
Jumia’s logistics network included over 30 warehouses and over 3,000 drop-off stations and pick-up stations, located across Jumia’s 11-country market.
Zipline’s instant logistics system, on the other hand, was made up of a world class autonomy platform, fleet of light, electric aircraft, and flight management systems that reduce green-house gas emissions by 98% compared to delivery by car.
This system was designed to enable all consumers, from the most urban to the most remote, to access the products they needed in 45-minutes or less while reducing the carbon emissions of last-mile delivery up to 98 per cent compared to traditional cars.
He said that Jumia’s partnership with Zipline was part of its commitment to providing affordable and eco-friendly delivery of online orders for consumers.
