Sale of Goods and Services: The Irreversible Contribution of Digital Technology

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Sale of Goods and Services: The Irreversible Contribution of Digital Technology

The advent of the digital tools and social media networks has led to an unprecedented rise in online

08 août 2023 15:11

28-year old Mary Enow, a graduate from the University of Buea wakes up every morning with the hope of connecting to her clients on Facebook and WhatsApp for her virtual restaurant. She advertises her food menu of the day on her social media handles and her clients place commands and pay by mobile money. It takes just her data bundle of approximately FCFA 500 per day to connect to her clients and there she goes with online sales. Though she makes brisk business, her activity is however informal and thus not taxed as she doesn’t operate a physical restaurant or runs a recognized e-commerce platform. Her online presence enables her have averagely 25 clients per day. On the other hand, Churchill Mambe Nanje, creator of an established e-commerce platform, ‘Buyam’ which sells varied articles and food on its App. The Application which has over 50,000 subscribers connects buyers to trusted and verified vendors of every products. As a corporate body and citizen digital marketing enterprise that permits vendors to reach to a wide range of clients at a time, Buyam makes profits though the CEO did not disclose how much he makes but accepted he pays taxes.

Like Mary and Churchill, there exist thousands of online platforms selling one good or the other. The social media platforms are today inundated with adverts of different commodities at the disposal of clients no matter their locations. Corporate bodies as well as individuals commercialize their products or services online on daily basis. Facebook, WhatsApp, Tik-tok, Instagram, Twitter are some of the social media platforms that offers a virtual market opportunity for both small and big enterprises as well as individuals. In some cases, big enterprises like brewery companies, telecom companies use live shows of celebrities and influencers to market their products or services. It just suffices for the influencers or celebrities to have a huge following on his/ her social media handles. With the increasing rate of internet penetration in Cameroon which stood at 36.5 per cent in 2022, the country is increasingly embracing digitalization which no doubt is revolutionizing trade. Both the public and private sectors are seizing the opportunity to boost the commercialization of goods and services and hence the digital economy which stands a big chance to leapfrog economic growth. According to Cameroon’s foremost employers association, GICAM, in its Quarterly Bulletin No. 83 published in November 2021, 81 per cent of enterprises have websites while 85 per cent use social media for their communication. Meanwhile 67 per cent use mobile application in their activities. “GICAM president Celestin Tawamba in the Quarterly Bulletin stated t...