African coffee producers embrace e-commerce to attract Chinese consumers

According to a report published in Rwanda’s New Times newspaper, Kimonyo surprised many people when he cycled to the home of a Chinese consumer who had ordered Rwandan coffee online from JD.com, a popular e-commerce site. 

Ambassador thanked customer for their purchase

Dressed in the outfit of a JD.com delivery person – and accompanied by real delivery personnel from the company, as well as local media – he thanked the client for supporting the Rwandan coffee industry and presented her with a certificate of appreciation.

“This is just one of the ways that the Rwandan Embassy in China is attempting to get the attention of the Chinese consumers, in a country that boasts a very competitive e-commerce industry and a massive digital economy,” the New Times noted in its article.

Not to be outdone in the African coffee-marketing stakes, Ethiopia has also been active in China through its diplomatic mission.

According to a report in the online publication Quartz Africa, Ethiopia’s ambassador to China, Teshome Toga Chanaka, participated in a livestream event with top Chinese influencer Li Jiaqi, also known as Lipstick King, on e-commerce retailer Alibaba’s e-shopping platform Tmall. 

“Pleasantly surprised that more than 11 000 bags (500gm) of Ethiopian Coffee in stock were sold in 5 seconds in Shanghai in a live-streaming online event where the most influencer promoter #Li Jiaqi and I promoted # Ethiopian Coffee,” Chanaka said in a post-event Tweet.

To read more of this article, go to page 20 of the latest issue (Issue 1 2022) of Strategic Marketing for Africa, the magazine of the African Marketing Confederation. You can access the Digital Edition here.