Nigeria’s E-Commerce Boom Faces Pressure From Rising Delivery Costs

Nigeria’s digital commerce market is growing, but the next challenge may have less to do with getting Nigerians online and more to do with getting their purchases to them efficiently.

With 154.35 million active internet subscriptions on mobile networks recorded by the NCC in April 2026, the potential customer base is significant. Yet rising mobility costs are making the final leg of online commerce increasingly expensive for consumers and businesses.

The pressure is visible in transport fares. NBS data showed that the average fare for bus journeys within Nigerian cities reached N1,431.25 in May 2026, representing a 38.63% increase from N1,032.46 in May 2025. Okada fares recorded an even sharper rise, climbing 52.45% year-on-year to N1,072.51.

For merchants, especially small businesses operating through social media, delivery costs often sit outside the selling price and directly affect the economics of each order.

ChamsAccess, a Nigerian technology company, believes part of the answer lies in connecting commerce and logistics rather than treating delivery as a separate service.

The company has launched MarketRide, a digital commerce ecosystem made up of MarketRide User for consumers, MarketRide Merchant for businesses and MarketRide Go for deliveries.

The platform covers everyday categories including food, groceries, fashion, electronics and beauty products, while offering order tracking, OTP verification and delivery protection.

Its logistics arm uses a multi-order model, allowing riders to serve several customers within the same area during one trip.

ChamsAccess says the approach should reduce unnecessary trips and fuel consumption while improving riders’ earning opportunities. GPS tracking, rider training, branded equipment and faster payment settlement are also part of the service.

MarketRide Merchant also targets one of the biggest barriers for small online sellers, managing orders and deliveries at scale.

Merchants get automated rider dispatch, sales monitoring and customer insights. ChamsAccess says commissions will range from five to 15 per cent, depending on the category and service. All these three are available both on web android and ios

The real test now lies beyond the launch. MarketRide must build enough consumer demand, merchant participation and rider density for its integrated model to work efficiently.

Olayemi Odufeso, Chief Executive Officer of ChamsAccess, said “Nigeria does not have a shortage of ambitious entrepreneurs, hardworking riders, or consumers ready to embrace digital commerce. It has a shortage of systems that efficiently connect them. We built MarketRide to close that gap”

Odufeso said the company plans to take the platform beyond Lagos into other Nigerian urban centres.

For a market where internet access is expanding but the cost of moving goods is rising, the success of MarketRide could depend on one simple question: whether better coordination can make online commerce work harder for everyone in the chain.