Africa Could Lead Quick Commerce Revolution, Says Glovo

Africa's chaotic streets and informal economies might just be the perfect foundation for the next retail revolution.

Glovo, the global delivery platform operating in six African markets, sees Lagos traffic jams and unmapped Nairobi neighborhoods not as problems but as opportunities. The company believes Africa could become the world's largest quick commerce market by delivering groceries, medicine, and household items within minutes through dense networks of neighborhood stores.

Dima Rasnovsky, who oversees Glovo's African operations, points to a familiar pattern. Just as Africa skipped desktop computers and went straight to smartphones, the continent might bypass warehouse-heavy online shopping entirely and jump to ultra-fast local delivery. Africa already has the ingredients: dense cities packed with millions of small merchants, rapidly growing smartphone use, and mobile money infrastructure that makes digital payments easy.

The company announced a $77.6 million investment in Kenya through 2030, expanding beyond Nairobi into more towns across the country. Glovo now leads Kenya's online food delivery market with 33% consumer preference and controls 46% of grocery delivery preferences, according to Kenya's Competition Authority.

The economics are tricky but promising. Delivery platforms make money from merchant commissions and delivery fees, but African consumers remain price-sensitive. That leaves one solution: density. When many merchants and customers sit close together, riders spend less time in traffic and more time delivering, making the whole system work better.

Glovo is aggressively onboarding small businesses that already sell through Instagram and WhatsApp but lack proper logistics. Many African merchants already operate near their customers. They just need the digital plumbing to connect supply and demand instantly.

The Ripple Effect

The shift toward quick commerce could transform how millions of Africans shop while creating steady income for riders and digital sales channels for small merchants. Globally, customers who use both food delivery and quick commerce spend more than five times as much as those ordering food alone, according to Glovo's parent company Delivery Hero.

While groceries remain less profitable than restaurant delivery, they create consistent order volumes that keep riders busy and platforms running. Glovo's quick commerce business now generates over $1.17 billion annually worldwide, with grocery and retail categories growing 50% in 2024.

The company faces real challenges including volatile fuel prices, thin margins, and competition from Uber Eats and Bolt Food. But the infrastructure being built today could reshape African retail for decades, giving consumers in Lagos and Nairobi access to convenience that rivals any city in the world.

Africa's next technological leap might not come from copying Western models but from building something entirely new on top of what already works: neighborhoods full of merchants ready to serve customers who live just minutes away.