The Jumia Group has introduced a ‘contactless’ delivery option for prepaid packages on the e-commerce platform as part of measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The company, in a statement on Tuesday, said the measure became necessary to keep consumers, delivery agents and partners safe in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
It added that the ‘contactless safe delivery’ option has been implemented on JumiaPay, its payment platform.
This enables consumers to make prepaid payments for products online and get it delivered without a direct body contact or cash exchange with the delivery agent, it stated.
Commenting on the initiative, Apoorva Kumar, SVP Logistics at Jumia, said: “The health and safety of our customers and delivery agents is our absolute priority.
“We are uniquely positioned to step up and be part of Africa’s response strategy in this challenging time.
“We have implemented a “Contactless” delivery option, which eliminates any possibility of physical contact.
“Convenience, social distancing and cashless measures are woven into one solution to combat the current situation.”
The company further said that Jumia’s delivery agents have been trained to enforce necessary standards during delivery.
“They are instructed to call or text when they arrive at the customer’s place and drop off the package at their doorstep, then step back to the safe distance limit and will wait for the customer to take the package before leaving.
“Consumers are strongly encouraged to pay “cashless” on Jumia through JumiaPay. This will ensure less physical cash coming into contact with delivery riders and the wider population and will in turn help reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.
“Jumia ‘Contactless’ delivery payment option is available on all JumiaPay/ Prepaid Packages and all cashless delivery modes that are contactless such as mobile money,” it added.
It will be recalled that Jumia, one of Africa’s leading e-commerce platforms, few years ago launched its payment services platform, Jumiapay, aimed at encouraging cashless transactions.
