About 12 years back, the closest we Nigerians ever got to online shopping was to "window-shop" online; we could only visit reputable online retails stores like Amazon, Bestbuy, Walmart, and EBay just to have an idea of how much certain items cost.

Few years later, we "upgraded" to actually buying from those stores and using different complicated means to get our orders delivered to Nigeria. And even when those orders landed in Nigeria, we still had to go pick them up either at the nearest post office or some other designated location.

But fast forward to the present, e-commerce has come to stay in Nigeria--although Nigerian online stores still have a long way to go.
Nigerians can now order for products they need without leaving the comfort of their homes or offices, and still have their orders delivered right at their doorstep. And to eliminate all elements of mistrust and suspicion, virtually all Nigerian online stores allow cash-on-delivery payment, which means you pay only after receiving your order.

Right now, the e-commerce industry in Nigeria is booming, and competition is becoming fierce among players, with new stores springing up by the day.

Though this is a good development, it comes with one big disadvantage: consumers have problems choosing which online store to shop from. There are too many options, and for each reputable online store, you'll find both positive and negative reviews in large numbers. No doubt, this will leave you more confused than enlightened.

To save you and many others from this confusion, this post presents a brief review of the 10 best shopping sites in Nigeria based on a number of factors, such as size of inventory, popularity, customer service, speed of delivery, pricing, and user opinions.

1. Konga.com
Konga sells a wide range of consumer goods ranging from shoes to electronics. Though it's not the most popular online store in Nigeria, it remains the best at the moment due to faster delivery, better prices, and more than 70% customer satisfaction. Konga has its dark sides, too (such as listing out-of-sock products as available), but they remain on top.

2.
Jumia is undoubtedly the biggest and most popular online store in Nigeria at the moment. The store's popularity can be largely attributed to its huge advertising budget and aggressive marketing strategies. Although Jumia has disappointed a good number of customers in terms of delivery speed, pricing, and other aspects, its large inventory and huge popularity places it in this position.

3. Slot.ng
Though Slot Nigeria is more popular offline due to their reputation for selling high quality smartphones, PCs, and tablets, their online store has been doing pretty well since its launch. Though the store focuses solely on electronics devices, it's far more popular than Jumia and Konga (but it's coming third here because of its smaller inventory and reduced popularity online).

4. Kara.com.ng
A smaller and less popular online store when compared with Jumia and Konga, Kara seems to be near-perfect in those areas where both Jumia and Konga suck at times. Ultra-fast delivery, cheap prices, and great customer service set this store apart. Some satisfied customers have opined that their effectiveness can be attributed to the fact that they have fewer orders to handle than Jumia and Konga, but only time can prove this right or wrong.

5. Mystore.com.ng
Mystore.com.ng is another promising Nigerian online retail store. Though less popular than the likes of Jumia and Konga, Mystore comes fifth due to its efficient delivery service and large inventory (they sell even more products than slot).

Now, you might wonder why the likes of Kaymu, Dealdey, Pricecheck, and other popular names didn't make this list. That's because the list comprises only online stores that sell directly. Not seller-buyer links like Kaymu, best deal links like Deadldey, or price comparison sites like Pricecheck. Similarly, sites like Taafoo and ParktelOnline hae been left out due to their thin range of offers.

DISCLAIMER: This review is based plainly on the author's personal research and opinion. The author is not a staff or affiliate of any of the five companies listed.

Author author this your disclaimer message em.

pekeyim:
Author author this your disclaimer message em.

What's with my disclaimer message?

It's konga.com and not .com.ng

lifestyle1:
It's konga.com and not .com.ng

Fixed. Thanks for the correction.