Company Description
Jumia Technologies AG (NYSE: JMIA) is a pan-African e-commerce platform operating in the electronic shopping segment of the retail trade sector. According to company disclosures, Jumia focuses on improving the quality of everyday life in Africa by using technology to deliver convenient and affordable online services, while enabling businesses to reach customers through its platform.
The Jumia ecosystem is built around three core components: a marketplace, a logistics network, and a payment service. The marketplace connects tens of thousands of sellers with customers across multiple African countries, enabling merchants to list and sell products through Jumia’s online platform. The logistics network supports shipment and delivery of packages from sellers to customers, and Jumia’s proprietary payment service, JumiaPay, facilitates transactions among participants on the platform in selected markets.
Business model and revenue streams
Jumia states that it generates revenue from several sources linked to its platform activity. These include sales of goods, commissions, fulfillment, value-added services, and marketing and advertising. Marketplace revenue is associated with third-party sales, marketing and advertising, and value-added services, while first-party sales revenue comes from goods sold directly by Jumia. The company also reports revenue from other categories in its financial disclosures.
In its public reporting, Jumia highlights the importance of usage metrics such as Orders, Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV), and Quarterly Active Customers for physical goods. Orders represent the total number of orders for products and services on the platform, irrespective of cancellations or returns. GMV corresponds to the total value of orders for products and services, including shipping fees and value added tax and before deductions of discounts or vouchers, also irrespective of cancellations or returns. Quarterly Active Customers are defined as unique customers who placed an order for a product or service on the platform within a three‑month period.
Geographic footprint and operating focus
Jumia describes itself as a pan-African e-commerce platform with operations across 9 African countries. In its segment disclosures and news releases, the company references activity in West Africa, North Africa, East and South Africa, as well as operations that support its platform from Europe and the United Arab Emirates. The company has reported that it exited South Africa and Tunisia in late 2024, and subsequent key performance indicators exclude results from those markets.
Within Africa, Jumia has reported notable momentum in markets such as Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Algeria, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, and Morocco in various operational updates. For example, the company has highlighted strong growth in orders and GMV in Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, and has announced infrastructure investments such as a large integrated warehouse in Egypt to enhance storage and distribution efficiency. Jumia has also referenced a warehouse launch in Ivory Coast in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade.
Marketplace, logistics and payments
According to company descriptions, the Jumia platform connects approximately 70,000 sellers with customers. The marketplace supports both third-party sellers and first-party sales by Jumia. The company reports that it is expanding product assortment across key categories and increasing the share of items sourced from international sellers, reflecting cross-border merchant engagement.
Jumia’s logistics network is presented as a core part of its model, enabling shipment and delivery of packages across its markets. The company discloses that its logistics operations handle millions of packages over defined periods and that it tracks fulfillment expenses and fulfillment expense per order as part of its financial reporting. Jumia also reports initiatives to improve warehouse staff productivity, customer support operations and automation to reduce fulfillment unit costs.
JumiaPay, the company’s proprietary payment service, is described as facilitating transactions among participants on the platform in selected markets. The company also reports transaction-related metrics such as Total Payment Volume (TPV) in its operational key performance indicators, reflecting the value of payments processed through its payment ecosystem.
Strategic initiatives and platform evolution
In its public communications, Jumia has outlined several initiatives aimed at enhancing profitability, usage growth, and operational efficiency. These include a focus on higher-margin revenue streams, expansion of retail media and advertising, and optimization of logistics and technology costs.
The company has announced the launch and replatforming of its retail media program to Mirakl Ads, an advertising solution intended to support both first-party and third-party sellers. Jumia has described advertising as a key growth lever in its marketplace strategy and has indicated that sponsored product ads and retail media are intended to expand monetization opportunities. The company notes that advertising revenue represents a small percentage of GMV, and that it sees potential for growth in this area.
Jumia also reports using AI-driven workflows across customer service, marketing, and technology operations to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and support a leaner cost structure. These initiatives are referenced in the context of reducing operating expenses and improving scalability.
Operational highlights and growth indicators
In recent quarters, Jumia has reported year-over-year growth in revenue, GMV, Orders, and Quarterly Active Customers for physical goods, along with reductions in operating loss and adjusted EBITDA loss. The company has also highlighted growth in items sold from international sellers and increased usage in key markets, particularly Nigeria.
For specific periods, Jumia has disclosed that physical goods orders and GMV grew at double‑digit rates, with Black Friday events contributing a significant share of orders and GMV. The company has also described strong performance in categories such as electronics, beauty, and home & living, and has reported that orders outside capital cities and main urban centers account for a substantial portion of total orders in certain periods, as part of its upcountry strategy.
Jumia publishes liquidity and cash flow information, including its liquidity position (cash, cash equivalents, and term deposits and other financial assets), net cash used in operating activities, and capital expenditures. The company uses these metrics to describe its cash burn and working capital dynamics.
Infrastructure, sustainability and partnerships
Jumia has highlighted infrastructure investments such as the opening of a large integrated warehouse in Egypt, intended to enhance storage and distribution efficiency and support underserved areas. The company has stated that this facility is expected to create direct and indirect job opportunities through its ecosystem and supports broader goals related to digital transformation and logistics infrastructure.
In Uganda, Jumia has announced a partnership with Spiro to introduce electric bikes into its logistics operations within Kampala. The company describes this pilot program as part of its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable business practices. Jumia has indicated that shifting part of its delivery fleet to electric bikes is expected to reduce emissions and lower operational costs, while offering riders reduced fuel and maintenance expenses.
In Algeria, Jumia has disclosed a partnership with Diar Dzair to launch Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services. This initiative is described as a way to provide installment-based payment options, enhance consumer purchasing power, and encourage greater use of digital financial services. The company presents this as aligned with its focus on affordability, convenience, and digital financial inclusion.
Corporate structure and regulatory reporting
Jumia Technologies AG is organized as a foreign private issuer and files annual reports under cover of Form 20-F with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company also furnishes current reports on Form 6-K to provide updates on financial results, key performance indicators, and corporate governance changes, such as appointments and resignations on its Supervisory Board.
According to its SEC filings, Jumia Technologies AG is based in Berlin, Germany. The company’s filings include contact information and confirm that it uses Form 20-F for its annual reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Investor communications and events
Jumia regularly announces the timing of its quarterly financial results and related conference calls through press releases and Form 6-K filings. These communications typically include dial‑in details for investors and analysts, as well as information on webcasts and replays. The company has also announced events such as an Investor Day in London, intended to provide insights into its vision, long-term strategy, marketplace dynamics, logistics platform, and financial outlook.
Through these disclosures, Jumia provides context on its operating performance, cost structure, and strategic priorities, as well as updates on its progress toward profitability targets. The company also uses these communications to describe developments in its marketplace, logistics, and payment services.
Key concepts and metrics used by Jumia
In its public reporting, Jumia defines and uses several non‑IFRS and operational metrics, including:
- Orders: total number of orders for products and services on the platform, irrespective of cancellations or returns.
- GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume): total value of orders for products and services, including shipping fees and value added tax and before discounts or vouchers, irrespective of cancellations or returns.
- Quarterly Active Customers: unique customers who placed an order on the platform within a three‑month period, irrespective of cancellations or returns.
- Liquidity position: cash and cash equivalents plus term deposits and other financial assets.
- Cash burn: use of the company’s liquidity position, reflecting total cash usage across business lines.
- Adjusted EBITDA: a non‑IFRS measure that excludes certain items such as depreciation, amortization and share-based compensation expense, reconciled in the company’s financial disclosures.
Jumia notes that these metrics are used internally to monitor usage of its platform, assess operating performance, and evaluate progress on its path toward profitability.