At the start of the pandemic, personal shoppers in the diaspora noticed an interesting shift in spending habits among their clientele spread across Nigeria, Ghana, the UAE and South Africa. By all accounts, it seems the trend, especially with wealthy African consumers, is geared towards stress-free, bespoke shopping. Brands are also increasingly leaning on personal shoppers and their loyal client base to help them retail hard-to-sell products during the lockdown and as a result, for now, it appears the market remains favorable for enterprising Africans in the diaspora willing to go the extra mile – and the last mile – to meet the insatiable shopping demands of their clients back home. With retail most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, both companies and consumers have had to revisit their shopping philosophies. And this also applied to Africa’s vast contingent of luxury personal shoppers and high net-worth individuals, who would otherwise travel abroad for their Louis Vuittons and Valentinos. The retail therapy continues online for those with deep pockets and greater choices in a world of evolving e-commerce.
SOURCE: FORBES AFRICA