Despite the upheavals experienced in what has been a topsy-turvy year on the political scene, Konga Yakata, as the Black Friday sales of Nigeria’s e-commerce giant is known, may break all existing sales records for the annual sales extravaganza this year as Konga commits to beat any prices for genuine products this shopping season.

The 2020 edition of Konga Yakata kicks off on November 11 and runs till December 12, 2020.

Widely regarded as the biggest sales event of every year, the 2020 edition of Konga Yakata goes live on 11th of November, coincidentally known globally as Singles Day, with tons of mouthwatering discounts and other unprecedented offers – a factor that has already seen eager shoppers in keen anticipation.

‘‘Everyone is waiting for Konga Yakata. We are excited in anticipation,’’ Mrs. Yvonne Johnson of Goldbrain Spar, Ikoyi, a regular Yakata shopper disclosed.

Equally important, findings indicate that the month-long sales fiesta will likely go down as the most lucrative ever in the history of Black Friday sales in Nigeria, with Konga estimated to rake in over N15bn from combined sales on its omni-channel platforms including the website, chains of retail stores nationwide and Konga Bulk, among others.

The figure is expected to cast in the shade all previous sales records ever witnessed in the history of Black Friday sales in Nigeria.

Part of the reasons adduced for the significant jump in numbers is the turmoil experienced in the polity this year, which has prevented most e-Commerce platforms as well as millions of bargain-hungry shoppers from participating in any major discount sales. While Konga has made the most of a difficult situation with its monthly live online auctions through which it has managed to offer shoppers a viable outlet for best priced products, other e-Commerce platforms have struggled at best to keep the wheels turning.

Consequently, a number of heavy shoppers have quietly identified Black Friday as the best opportunity to splurge and fulfil their long withheld shopping lists. The foregoing is backed by research.

Specifically, a survey put together by renowned media intelligence outfit – DeepInsight – shows that 7 in 10 shoppers who spend upwards of N500,000 and above during Black Friday admitted to waiting for this year’s edition of the annual sales to carry out their shopping. When pressed for details, the respondents disclosed that Konga Yakata remains the preferred Black Friday sales they would be targeting, citing a combination of factors including genuine products, convenience of physical stores in their neighbourhood, advantage of human interaction and seeing the products before buying, as well as the added convenience of being able to pick up or self-fulfil in order to avoid delays.

Another reason for the massive patronage and record figures expected for the 2020 edition of Konga Yakata is the sheer reach and ability of the e-Commerce brand to deliver to its customers. Perhaps, no other brand comes close in the area in which Konga has, to a large extent, resolved the thorny issue of logistics and last-mile deliveries. Closely aligned to this is feedback from respondents which indicate that the biggest hindrance with Black Friday shopping is delivery, with many expressing the fact that months after, some ordered items are yet to be delivered.

Nevertheless, the majority averred that in situations where it is easy to take delivery of orders, the propensity to shop more is heightened. To this effect, Konga Yakata was highlighted as a huge preference for the upcoming Black Friday shopping season in view of the company’s advanced logistics/delivery capabilities and the aforementioned opportunity to self-fulfil at any of its offline retail stores which double as ordering and collection points.

Most importantly, Konga Yakata will see unprecedented sales figures due to its unique status of ushering in the holiday shopping season. Analysts believe that the coronavirus pandemic and the #EndSARS protests have disrupted the 2020 shopping calendar and, as such, this year’s Black Friday will drive greater traffic and numbers for Konga Yakata. In other words, the prevailing circumstances will see shoppers rush to get their Christmas shopping underway much quicker, thereby translating to more sales for Konga.

‘‘It is not far-fetched to imagine that Konga Yakata will likely witness previously unprecedented numbers in terms of sales figures this year,’’ stated Chris Uwaje, an e-Commerce enthusiast and former President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON).

‘‘The signs are ominous, especially when you consider that Nigerian e-Commerce shoppers have been starved of mouthwatering deals this year due to a combination of socio-political and health challenges that have marked this year. Indeed, 2020 has been a very unusual year in the history of Nigeria and e-Commerce has not been left out.

‘‘However, the potential of the Nigerian e-Commerce market has never been in doubt. Also, Konga Yakata remains arguably the biggest sales event in the annual shopping calendar. Therefore, we may be witnessing a situation where deals-starved or deals-hungry shoppers will go all out to quench their shopping thirst when the mega promotion commences,’’ he said.

Konga Yakata, also famously tagged 11-11/12-12, will kick off on Wednesday, November 11, and run until Saturday, December 12, 2020 online and offline across all of Konga’s retail channels.

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