Africa's e-commerce leader Jiji to enter Bangladesh

Highlights:

• Jiji is likely to go into Bangladesh operation this week
• It plans to build a strong local team in Bangladesh
• Jiji does not own inventory or logistics
• It allows sellers to reach large groups of price-sensitive buyers through classified ads
• It plans for further expansion in Asia in the coming days
• Jiji has offices in Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, Warsaw, Dubai, Kyiv

Jiji – Africa's leading e-commerce marketplace by gross turnover – is set to launch its winning online classified ads-based marketplace in Bangladesh, possibly this week, with plans for further expansion in Asia in the coming days.

"With the successful premium classified ad packages for sellers, it has become a market leader in several regions with a total population of 400 million. Currently, in the African markets, it has over 1.2 crore monthly active users who buy from two lakh business sellers," said Jiji in an email response to The Business Standard.

As Africa's only profitable major e-commerce player, Jiji has already demonstrated remarkable market-entry capabilities by successfully outperforming and subsequently acquiring OLX and Cars45 businesses in Africa, as well as Tonaton businesses in Ghana.

Headquartered in Warsaw, Jiji employs over 1,000 people and has offices in Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, Warsaw, Dubai, and Kyiv, with plans to build a strong local team in Bangladesh.

"With its dynamic economy, a significantly untapped e-commerce market amid rapidly growing digital adoption, and an expanding middle class, Bangladesh represents a tremendous long-term growth opportunity," said Jiji Co-founder and CEO Anton Volianskyi.

His company wants to replicate its African success story here, leveraging its resources, financial strength, and experience in building profitable and impactful e-commerce businesses in Bangladesh, as it sees similarities in market patterns that offer growth.

Instead of having its own inventory or logistics, Jiji allows sellers to reach large groups of price-sensitive buyers through classified ads.

Having already registered its local subsidiary, Jiji aims to invest millions of dollars to capture a significant e-commerce market share, alongside leadership in the classified ads market. The company will "offer a safe, convenient, and reliable marketplace for buying and selling goods and services."

"We have a plan to explore further and potentially expand into two or three additional Asian markets over the next 1-2 years," Anton Volianskyi said, emphasising Jiji's aggressive international growth strategy.

Regarding competition in Bangladesh, he said, "We've thoroughly analysed the Bangladesh market and see a significant opportunity. While there are existing players, we don't see any that have executed the classified marketplace model to its full potential."

"Given our experience successfully competing against and subsequently acquiring companies like OLX and Cars45 in Africa, we're confident in our ability to quickly establish market leadership in Bangladesh."

In Africa, Jiji hosts over 70 lakh active ads across various categories, including vehicles and property, where it is the market leader.

With 70% of the population still untapped, Bangladesh's e-commerce market is projected to grow to over $12 billion by 2029, the company stated, counting on the young, tech-savvy population and the rapid digital adoption trend.

"Classified platforms work well in emerging economies where value-conscious consumers prefer direct transactions," Jiji added.

Bikroy, Bproperty, and ekhanei are among the most popular classified ads marketplaces in Bangladesh.