新冠疫情促使非洲網購加速發展

相比中國和許多其他國家，非洲的電商平臺起步晚，發展落後。然而，新冠肺炎疫情給非洲網購市場帶來了一個轉折性的契機。

Covid-19 has brought untold hardship to Africa, but lockdowns are also driving a move to online shopping in a continent where it has been slow to take off.
新冠肺炎疫情給非洲帶去了數不清的苦難，但是封鎖也推動了起步較晚的網購在非洲大陸上的發展。

untold [ˌʌnˈtoʊld]: adj. 數不清的；無限的

The whole of Africa had only around 21 million online shoppers in 2017 — about the same number as Spain. That's less than 2% of the world's total, according to the latest UN data.
根據聯合國最新的數據，2017年整個非洲只有大約2100萬網購者，相當於西班牙的網購人數，還不到世界網購總人數的2%。

Covid-19 had infected more than 260,000 people in Africa, as of June 18, and lockdown restrictions have forced many open-air markets and retailers to shut, with consumers being told to stay at home. In response, digital entrepreneurs across the continent have launched new services for ordering and delivering supplies.
截至6月18日，新冠病毒已經感染了非洲超26萬人，封鎖限制措施迫使很多露天市場和零售店關門，消費者被告知待在家裏。對此非洲各地的電商推出了訂購和送貨的新服務。

"E-commerce has been a turnkey solution," Torbjörn Fredriksson, head of e-commerce and digital economy at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), tells cnn Business. It has enabled "supply chains to continue to function and to get food from farms to tables," he adds.
聯合國貿易與發展會議電子商務和數字經濟處處長託本·弗萊德瑞克遜告訴美國有線電視新聞網商業頻道說：“電子商務是解決問題的一把鑰匙。”他補充道，電子商務讓“供應鏈繼續運轉，把食物從農民那裏運送到餐桌上。”

網店的興起

Farmcrowdy began life in 2016 as a digital platform providing small farmers across Nigeria with access to finance and support. But in April, it launched Farmcrowdy Foods, an online store where people can buy fresh food from farmers.
數字化平臺Farmcrowdy於2016年創立，向尼日利亞各地的小農戶提供資金和支持。但是在今年四月，該平臺推出了網店Farmcrowdy Foods，人們可以通過這家網店從農民那裏買到新鮮食物。

Kenneth Obiajulu, the company's managing director, told cnn Business that it started developing the marketplace model in 2019, but decided to fast track the launch as Nigeria's lockdown made it difficult for farmers to sell produce.
該公司的總經理肯尼斯·歐比亞由路告訴美國有線電視新聞網商業頻道稱，該公司從2019年開始開發市場模式，但是在尼日利亞的封鎖措施使得農民難以賣掉農產品後決定快速推進這一模式。

Through the food platform, Farmcrowdy collects produce from its network of more than 25,000 farmers situated in the rural north of the country, before transporting it to storage facilities in the south, near Lagos, where there is most demand.
通過他們的食品平臺，Farmcrowdy從尼日利亞北部鄉村的2.5萬多名農民那裏收購農產品，然後將其運送到需求量最大的拉各斯附近的南部地區倉庫。

"We list all the produce that we have sourced directly from the farmers. Then individuals can order it and get it delivered to their homes," says Obiajulu. Since launching, during what it describes as a pilot phase with limited marketing, it has received more than 2,000 orders via its hotline, WhatsApp and mobile app.
歐比亞由路說：“我們在平臺上列出了所有直接從農民那裏收購的農產品。然後個體消費者就可以訂購，讓我們送貨上門。”自從推出該平臺以來，在所謂的有限營銷的試運行階段，已經通過熱線電話、WhatsApp應用和其他手機應用接收到了2000多張訂單。

Nigerian startup Flutterwave, which began as a digital payments company, also launched an online marketplace in April, where businesses can set up a storefront on the platform and list and sell their goods. The service is now available in 15 African countries.
尼日利亞的初創企業Flutterwave在創立初期是一家電子支付公司，在今年四月也推出了網上商城，企業可以在該平臺上建立網店，展示並銷售自己的商品。目前該服務面向15個非洲國家開放。

Olugbenga Agboola, the company's founder, told cnn Business in May that the online store was created as a lifeline for small companies that have been closed during lockdowns, and that more than 1,000 businesses had signed up to sell products.
該公司的創始人歐路格本噶·阿哥布拉五月份告訴美國有線電視新聞網商業頻道說，網店是許多在封鎖期間關門的小公司的一條生命線，目前已有超1000家企業在該平臺註冊了網店銷售產品。

Jumia, one of the continent's largest e-commerce operators, reported a four-fold increase in sales of groceries in the second-half of March, compared with the same period last year — although its food delivery service was impacted by restaurants shutting down.
非洲大陸最大的電子商務運營商之一Jumia報告稱三月下半月的百貨銷量同比增長了四倍——不過其送餐服務受到了餐廳關門的影響。

消費習慣的改變

Starting from a low base, e-commerce in Africa was on the rise before the pandemic. According to UNCTAD, the number of online shoppers on the continent has grown by 21% annually since 2014, higher than the world's average growth rate of 12%. The launch of new platforms in response to Covid-19 has accelerated this growth, says Fredriksson.
儘管起步較低，但非洲的電子商務在疫情暴發前就呈上升的發展趨勢。根據聯合國貿易與發展會議的數據，自2014年以來，非洲大陸網購人數每年平均增長21%，高於世界平均增長率12%。弗萊德瑞克遜表示，因疫情而興起的新平臺加速了網購的增長。

A recent study from market research firm Nielsen found that around 30% of online consumers in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya shopped more online during the lockdown period.
市場調研公司尼爾森的一項新研究發現，尼日利亞、南非和肯尼亞約有30%的網購消費者在封鎖期間消費量增加了。

But Fredriksson warns that it won't all be plain sailing. "The shift to online platforms and services is far from automatic in Africa," he says, adding that many countries lag in terms of broadband access, transport and infrastructure.
但是弗萊德瑞克遜警告稱，網購的發展不會一帆風順。他說：“向網上平臺和服務的轉變不會在非洲自動完成。”他補充道，許多非洲國家在寬帶覆蓋率、交通和基礎設施方面都很落後。

The biggest hurdle is gaining consumer trust, says Obiajulu. But the pandemic could be the turning point.
歐比亞由路說，最大的障礙就是獲取消費者的信任。但是大流行病可能是轉折點。

"Individuals won't be buying the same way as they used to before," he says. "People are becoming comfortable with the fact that they don't need to step into the market to get what they need to eat. We are positioning ourselves for that new normal."
“個體消費者不會再像過去那樣購物，”他說，“人們正逐漸接受一個事實：他們無需走進市場也能獲得他們需要的食物。我們正在適應這個新常態。”