Safaricom is looking to expand its e-commerce reach in the country by providing mobile payment services on Aliexpress.com.
The firm on Tuesday announced it had partnered with the Chinese run online store under Alibaba Group, to use M-Pesa as a payment option.
This is set to boost the telco’s daily mobile money transactions which currently stand at 17 million or 25,000 transactions per minute, as more Kenyans lean towards online shopping driven by increased internet access.
“This partnership seeks to connect Kenyans to even more business opportunities by enabling them to seamlessly source, purchase and import goods from the world’s leading manufacturers,” Safaricom Chief customer officer Sylvia Mulinge said.
Under the deal, Ant Financial, which runs the portal’s payment services, will offer M-Pesa as one of the payment options with transactions denominated in the Kenyan shilling.
“The move especially targets micro-traders in the country who source goods and other supplies from manufacturers in China,” Mulinge said.
Kenya has undergone a mobile commerce boom driven by mobile penetration, increased smartphone adoption, and a mobile-first strategy that enables shoppers to pay for goods and services online through mobile money platforms.
Data by the Communication Authority shows e-commerce accounted for 76 per cent of total mobile money transfers at a value of Sh1.55 trillion between July and September last year. This was through 526.9 million transactions.
