It is with broad arms that Nigerians welcomed E-commerce business. When this method of selling and purchasing of goods was introduced in the nation, a lot of challenges were encountered. Though some of these challenges were not fully resolved, merchants tried their best to reduce it to a bearable minimum. Here, I am going to give you an insight on how pay on delivery is facilitating online shopping in Nigeria.
One of the major challenges of consumers during online shopping is what may go wrong during payment of purchased goods online. Not only this, the rising cases of internet fraud scared a lot of people away from online shopping. Also, the legitimacy of some of the online vendors becomes equally questionable. This became a cause for concern after a lot of people became victims of online scamming after making payment for purchased items online. The good news is that today, some popular online stores in Nigeria are offering the pay on delivery option thereby increasing the number of their buyers and also building a high level of trust.
Pay on delivery or cash on delivery (COD) simply means that you only pay for the goods upon delivery. The money could be paid in cash to the driver, paid through cheque or through bank transfer as directed by the seller. The good news is that this form of payment is minimizing the risk of getting scammed online.
How to Select the Pay on Delivery Option
If you visit popular online shopping websites in Nigeria like Jumia or Konga, after selecting your orders and having them placed in your cart. You will then be prompted to select a payment option. If you want to make the payment on delivery, you can choose the pay on delivery option. Note; it may not be every product in these websites that will qualify for this type of payment option. When it is not available, you won’t see this option there.
Now, let me give you the reasons why this method of payment will leverage the online shopping business in Nigeria;
How Pay on Delivery is facilitating Online Shopping in Nigeria
1. It reduces the risk of online payment fraud
Those who were skeptical about what may go wrong like I said earlier during online transactions, are now choosing this payment option. Some Nigerians who have heard about how some people were scammed during online transactions feels more comfortable with this form of payment. They no longer need to reveal their credit card or other payment details online.
In some cases, some of these E-commerce websites may have undecteded doorways through which hackers can get the information of those who makes transactions in their websites. This can be prevented if the website has a high maintenance of security. In a recent study, it has been revealed that there has been an increase in the number of elderly people purchasing their products from online stores in Nigeria, this maybe attributed to this available payment on delivery option in some online stores.
2. It doesn’t depend on debit or credit card
It will not be surprising to hear that some Nigerians do not have debit or credit cards. They prefer to simply walk into the banks and perform their transactions. Those that practices such claims that it makes them free from fraudulent people who may wish to perpetrate their crimes by snatching their cards away from them or stealing their details, it also saves them from unnecessary purchases when they have this card in possession. Therefore, pay on delivery is a welcomed option because it saves them from unintentional spending and also makes them free from online scamming and humiliations.
3. It is a succour when online transaction could not be completed
Online payment gateways do not respond at all times. At times, the transaction may not be completed either as a result of error from the consumer’s end, merchant’s end or the gateway. Wherever the error maybe coming from, the only alternative when it becomes unsuccessful is pay on delivery. Thus, the merchant can be able to sell his goods pending the time when the error could be resolved if it is from his side. The consumer can equally get his ordered goods when pay on delivery option is available. In Nigeria also, the network connection is not stable in some parts of the country, cash on delivery becomes of great help to those living in such areas.
4. Erases fear of “what I ordered vs what I got “
Due to the high level of insincerity among some online vendors, most Nigerians were afraid of being sent a product which isn’t exactly what the ordered for. There have been a lot of complaints from people who have gotten such unexpected products. Some funny displays of such products on social media is always tagged “what I ordered vs what I got.” To erase this fear, Nigerians are now opting for Pay on delivery option when it exists. In this way, if the terms and conditions of the merchant permits the consumer to inspect the product before payment, he or she can go ahead to do that. It also helps to build trust between customers and online merchants, as they can be assured that they will receive the exact item they ordered before making the payment.
5. The retailer bears the liability arising during the delivery
A lot of things can go wrong during the delivery of the ordered goods to the consumer. The goods may get spoilt on the way, stolen or be interchanged. In this instance, the consumer will be free from such liability because he or she has not made any financial commitment.
It is of no doubt that pay on delivery is facilitating online shopping in Nigeria considering its enormous benefits to the consumer. Though, not every online shopping platform in Nigeria have this option, I believe with time, they will adopt this method of payment of goods purchased online so as to encourage more people to patronize this form of shopping. It is of no doubt that pay on delivery in Nigeria has been instrumental in driving e-commerce growth and providing convenience to both customers and online merchants.
Also Read; Challenges with Online Shopping in Nigeria
10 Things to consider before making online purchase in Nigeria