Nigeria’s Online Business Faces Integrity Threat – Customers

Nigeria ’ s e-commerce business is battling integrity issues
on the part of its promoters and patrons , our correspondent
has gathered.
This has reportedly affected confidence in the business
causing many who are big fans of online commerce to
return to the traditional offline markets.
Customers who spoke to our correspondent complained that
what most of the e-commerce players promoted on their
websites were not what they delivered to customers.
The Director and Lead Digital Advisory Team, Ernst & Young ,
West Africa, Mr. Dapo Adewole , confirmed this observation
and blamed it on faulty operating models .
He said e -commerce players needed to change their
operating models and ensure that quality control was
embedded in the system.
He explained that e-commerce websites were not entirely to
blame for faulty products because the websites they created
were just platforms for various sellers of products to display
their products and for sellers to go and buy.
“ What the platform owners should do is to ensure that
there is quality control and that whatever you upload online
is what the end user would get , ” he said .
Adewole also agreed that the sector was not well regulated
and pointed out the need to do so as e-commerce players
complained of unfair treatment from people ordering for
items that were supposed to be paid for on delivery .
“ But when these items are taken to them , instead of paying
for them , they could suddenly change their minds and say
they want something else other than what they ordered
for , ” he said .
Speaking during a forum on ensuring standards in the e-
commerce sector , the Director -General, Standards
Organisation of Nigeria , Mr . Osita Aboloma, noted that with
the increase in consumer complaints being received on the
quality of products and services sold online, it had become
necessary to have a robust regulatory framework in place to
drive the sector.
“ For
instance ,
products
such as
mobile
phones ,
electrical
and
electronic
devices
cannot be
physically
viewed and
tested
before
purchase online while the claims on what they can do have
been found in many cases to be inaccurate or sometimes
outright false , ” he said .
The President , Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria ,
Shola Ajulo , stressed the need for service providers to have
structures that could protect online customers .
“ We need to address things such as warranties, refunds ,
returns, and misleading adverts . There should be checks
and balances that ensure that the online market is safe , ” she
said .