Website design By BotEap.comExporting wholesale merchandise to Africa requires an understanding of the needs of the market you are selling to, the ability to supply products at competitive prices, and the logistical ability to deliver the wholesale merchandise in a timely, cost-effective and safe manner. To run a successful wholesale business that sells to African stores, you will need to ensure that you can address each of the following steps.

Website design By BotEap.comStep 1

Website design By BotEap.comResearch the market. You will want to know the tastes of the customers who buy in the stores to which you are going to sell. For example, if you plan to wholesale suits in a store in Lagos, Nigeria, you will need to know what type of suits your customers prefer. In this case, since suits in Nigeria are primarily worn by bankers, you will need to have conservative-style suits from well-known brands such as Tahari, Jones New York, or Calvin Klein. Or, if you are selling to a store located in a mining town in South Africa, you will want to know what kind of clothing the local miners are looking for.

Website design By BotEap.comWithin Africa there are many subcategories in the consumer market and it is important to know about them. For example, countries located in West and East Africa, such as Ghana, Kenya, Botswana, and Uganda, have been influenced by the tastes of American and European fashion, and may have a sizeable population that can afford brand-name designer labels. There is a very strong market for used clothing in Central African countries like Gabon, Chad and Rwanda.

Website design By BotEap.comBehind this is the assumption that you are researching the price points at which the store can sell your clothes, so that you know how much you can wholesale them for.

Website design By BotEap.comStep 2

Website design By BotEap.comYou will need to source merchandise in bulk that is suitable for Africa. One mistake that wholesalers and exporters make when dealing with the continent is that they assume that the climate is warm all year round. There are actually places like South Africa that experience a winter, or have a rapid change in temperature from day to night.

Website design By BotEap.comStep 3

Website design By BotEap.comTo reach potential buyers, you’ll want to use online marketing tools like Google Adwords, Yahoo Pay Per Click, and Facebook Ads, through which you can target specific countries, and with Facebook, even certain demographics. You should also consider using African trade and online publications such as Ghanaweb.com, Nigeriaworld.com, Saweb.co.za, and other country and region specific media.

Website design By BotEap.comStep 4

Website design By BotEap.comDevelop relationships with freight forwarders who have experience shipping products to Africa. There are many reputable companies such as Express Air Freight, DBSchenker, Grandbelle and others that ship orders on a weekly basis and therefore can offer reasonable rates for their customers. Many shippers will even ship orders freight collect, which means the recipient can pay for shipping when they receive the order. The advantage of this is that the customer knows that they will only pay the exact shipping cost and can spread their total payments for their bulk purchase.