Remember when the most we could do was to admire high end skin and body care brands in magazines? I would spend hours ogling at product ads in international magazines like cosmopolitan and vogue, knowing only too well that even if some of the products were within my reach financially if I dreamed hard enough, not so geographically. Even for those who could afford them, the logistics of physically going to buy them abroad would involve visa hurdles, setting aside extra money for flights and accommodation and going to cities whose layout is not familiar.
In my determination to have some of these beautiful lotions and potions from big names, I’d wait until a relative was coming to Kenya from the US or UK and send them. That often meant waiting a good half year. Not anymore. The world has indeed become a global village and getting legit producys from whichever shop worldwide is as simple as browsing through online catalogues, virtually adding desired items into a basket, paying via card, and virtually checking out.
And now things are getting even easier. Jumia has partnered with The Estée Lauder Companies to expand prestige beauty offerings to consumers in Kenya. This partnership makes Jumia the first Pure Player in Kenya to offer prestige beauty brands on its platform. From the comfort of their homes, consumers will be able to shop from the official online stores of three of The Estée Lauder Companies key brands: Estée Lauder, Clinique, and M·A·C Cosmetics.
“This partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies is in line with Jumia’s mission to relentlessly leverage technology to deliver the best possible consumer experience across Africa. We are excited to offer luxury brands and services and technology to elevate the customer experience by allowing our consumers to find authentic products, and have them delivered to their doorsteps”.
Kenneth Oyolla, Jumia Chief Commercial Officer.
The demand for a seamless online experience has been rapidly accelerated by the changing business landscape of 2020. Through the partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies, Jumia is helping brands adapt to Kenyan consumers’ changing needs, and delivering on the growing consumer desire for luxury brands online.
“We are incredibly excited about the opportunity to partner with Jumia to make our prestige beauty brands accessible online to Kenyan consumers. With each brand having its own official store, consumers will have a guarantee of product authenticity, along with the coveted full brand experience, inclusive of top-quality content, comprehensive information about each product, and customer reviews.”
Mario Lazzaroni, Country Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, The Estée Lauder Companies.
As a long time enthusiast of these brands, I can’t wait to head over to Jumia Kenya’s online home for luxury beauty and get some shopping going.