Jumia, the popular African e-commerce company, is facing backlash over a misleading advertisement on their Facebook page.
The ad in question promotes Nivea body cream but shows an image of an itel S24 phone. This contradictory pairing appears to be an attempt to drive clicks and purchases through deception.
Customers were outraged when they realized the product displayed on the advert on https://www.facebook.com/share/p/rTUhPR9JseUwzuey/?mibextid=oFDknk was not the actual product being sold. “What does Nivea has to do with Itel,” said one Facebook fan. “Jumia needs to be upfront about what they are selling instead of tricking people.”
While Nivea cream is a popular product, using an unrelated phone image to promote it is unethical. Experts call this a “bait-and-switch” tactic, luring in customers under false pretenses. It violates consumer protection laws in many countries.
As an influential force in African e-commerce, Jumia has a responsibility to be transparent. Using shady marketing schemes to push products sets a bad example. Consumer trust, once lost, is hard to regain.
Jumia needs to reevaluate its ad policies and clamp down on false or misleading promotions.
Otherwise, they risk further damage to their brand and a permanent loss of customer loyalty. African consumers deserve honest and ethical shopping experiences from the retailers they patronize.
