Jumia's sales in Kenya hit a record Sh6.4 billion ($49.7 million) in the three months to June 2026, as strong demand for fashion and beauty items offset a slump in smartphone sales caused by supply disruptions and rising prices.

The sales marked an 84.1 percent increase from Sh3.5 billion ($27 million) in the second quarter of last year. This is the highest sales figure since the e-commerce company began releasing data breakdowns for its individual markets in January 2025.

Kenya is the third-largest of Jumia’s eight African markets, with the latest quarterly sales accounting for 23 percent of the group’s $216.3 million (Sh2.9 billion) Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) – the total value of goods and services sold on its website and mobile app – in Africa between April and June.

Sales on the e-commerce platform in Kenya stood at Sh4.6 billion ($35.9 million) between January and March, Sh5.4 billion ($41.9 million) between October and December 2025, and Sh3.8 billion ($29.6 million) in the quarter to September 2025.

“GMV growth reflected a category mix shift, with strong performance in fashion, beauty, as well as home and living—categories with lower average item value but higher take rates for Jumia,” the company said.

The New York Stock Exchange-listed company’s $216.3 million GMV across Africa during the second quarter was a 20 percent year-on-year increase from $180.2 million in the same period last year.

Smartphones and electronics have been a key driver of Jumia’s sales, but the recent global memory chip crisis and processor shortages linked to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) have raised mobile phone prices, hurting online retailers’ sales.

Jumia did not disclose the sales figures of its different categories.

The AI infrastructure boom has diverted memory chips away from consumer electronics, driving up handset prices and squeezing demand in sensitive markets such as Kenya.

Soaring prices for memory chips, which are key components in smartphones, have challenged phone manufacturers after chipmakers shifted production capacity towards high-margin AI data centres owned by tech giants like OpenAI and Anthropic.

The crisis has further been compounded by logistics disruptions linked to war in the Middle East, which triggered airspace closures and flight cancellations in hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.

“The phones and electronics categories were impacted by supply disruptions from memory chip and CPU (central processing unit) shortages, as well as air freight disruption through the Gulf,” Jumia said.

Global smartphone shipments fell 11 percent year-on-year in the three months to June, marking the lowest second-quarter volumes since 2013, according to market intelligence firm Counterpoint Research.

Entry-level and mid-tier smartphones, which account for the bulk of global sales, have become unfeasible at previous price points as makers grapple with higher material bills.

In Kenya, the crisis has seen the prices of entry-level smartphone models like the Chinese brand Vivo jump 80 percent from Sh9,999 to Sh17,999. Mid-range devices are up 28 percent from Sh35,000 to Sh45,000 in just two years.

Jumia was first launched in Nigeria in 2012, delivering packages through local retailers. It opened shop in Kenya in 2013.

But since its launch, the online marketplace has struggled to turn a profit and has been cutting costs by shedding headcount, exiting some markets, and closing some product categories to focus on beauty items, clothes, smartphones, electronics and home appliances.

The firm exited Algeria at the start of this year, after South Africa and Tunisia in late 2024. In 2023, it removed grocery items and food delivery services in seven African markets, including Kenya.

Jumia’s expansion into smaller, upcountry towns has helped its sales. “Orders from upcountry regions represented 61 percent of total orders in the second quarter of 2026, up from 59 percent in the prior-year period,” the company said.

The firm expects to break even in the last quarter of 2026 and finally turn a full-year profit next year.