To make it easy for African consumers to shop star designers like Gucci, Bottega and others, Jendaya – an online luxury marketplace housing the next generation of luxury labels, has raised $1.2m pre-seed funding to scale its e-commerce platform in Africa.
The fast rising startup who acts as a gateway for global luxury brands to the African continent and for consumers in the rest of the world to discover African brands stated, the brand had launch formally after repeatedly acting as a personal shopper for luxury items in the U.K. for relatives back in Nigeria.
“We wanted to make a platform where Africans on the continent should they want Gucci loafers or Bottega bags, they don’t have to jump through hoops or have a month or few weeks’ delay because they can have that in their hands in some days or a week, so that’s why we started Jendaya,” said CEO Ayotunde Rufai.
Jendaya also ships these designer items from Africa, Asia, the U.K., the U.S., and Europe to clients worldwide by partnering with DHL and capitalizing on the logistics giant’s reputation and large network. The U.K., Nigeria, Ghana, and the U.S., representing the richest black and diasporan areas, have seen the most traction for Jendaya.
Other co-founders of the luxury goods brand, include COO Kemi Adetu, CCO Teni Sagoe, and CSO David Elikwu; split across London, New York and Lagos, they launched Jendaya in December 2021.
Consumertrics notes that 13 months old Jendaya, has handled more than 300 orders, since launch just one year ago.
Also the CEO revealed that the average order value per shopping cart is $350, which is less than a third of the benchmark — often $750 to $1,500 — recorded by popular luxury e-commerce companies.
“Customers are warming up to our platform, and selling luxury online is a different ball game. You need to build credibility, you need to build trust, and consumers need to consistently be aware of the platform and the brands we have,” remarked the chief executive addressing Jendaya’s order value compared to offline stores.
Jendaya is fast becoming a household name in the e-commerce industry as the platform links African and African diaspora luxury brands with high-end consumers globally and African consumers to global brands in the areas of fashion, beauty, home decor, and accessories.
