$49M Lost and Counting: A UX Audit of Jumia’s Online Shopping Journey

A ux audit of Jumia’s product and checkout experience, identifying user experience gaps contributing to cart abandonment and lost revenue with recommendations grounded in ecommerce best practices and heuristic evaluation.

Company

Company

Jumia

Industry

Industry

E-commerce

Role

Role

UX Designer / Auditor

Duration

Duration

3 Weeks

The Problem

Jumia, Africa’s biggest e-commerce platform, is struggling with declining active users, high cart abandonment, and losses of over $49M in 2023.

They pulled out of several underperforming markets. Their active customer base declined year-over-year. And user trust? Still shaky.

At first glance, you might think:

“That’s just a business problem.”

But here’s the truth: it’s a user experience problem masquerading as a business problem.

The Audit

I ran a full UX audit of Jumia focusing on the customer checkout journey.

My goal? To uncover how design decisions were silently draining millions in potential revenue.

What I found was alarming, but fixable.


Frameworks used:

Nielsen Norman Group’s 10 Heuristic Principles

Baymard Institute’s E-Commerce UX Guidelines (based on 700+ usability tests)

Behavioral insights from African e-commerce shoppers


Data from Baymard Institute shows that:

70% of carts are abandoned on average

34% of users abandon if forced to create an account

Fixing checkout UX alone can recover up to 35% of lost sales

Beyond design patterns and guidelines, the real story lies with the customers Jumia is failing to serve.

Customer Avatar

The main customer types identified in this audit:

  • The Window Shopper

  • One-Time or Infrequent Shoppers

  • The Need-based Buyer

Customer Avatar

The Business Reality

The Business Reality

If Jumia doesn’t provide a seamless experience for users like Tolu and Amina, they simply shop from local and international competitors.

If Jumia doesn’t provide a seamless experience for need-based customers and one-time customers, they simply shop from local and international competitors.

  1. No Guest Checkout

Before

After

Before

After

Before

According to Baymard Institute, 34% of shoppers abandon their cart if they’re forced to create an account.

Jumia still prioritizes login over convenience.

There’s no “Checkout as Guest”, and no easy path for one-time buyers.

In a market where digital trust is fragile, forcing users to commit upfront is a conversion killer.


Heuristic Violation: Lack of flexibility and efficiency of use

Business Impact: Friction for first-time users results in abandoned carts. This also massively lowers the conversion rate.

E-commerce isn’t just transactional, it’s emotional.

Gifting taps into powerful emotions like love, gratitude, and celebration, all of which drive impulse purchases and higher AOV (Average Order Value).

Yet Jumia offers no gift wrap option, no personalization, and no message field.

For someone buying a birthday or festive present, there’s no way to indicate it, or to make the experience feel special.

  • UX Violation: According to Baymard Institute guideline #753, Gift options should be simple, clear, and emotional.

  • Heuristic Violation: No match between the system and the real world

  • Business Impact: Lost AOV growth + missed emotional connection with users. This also contributes to checkout abandonment.


Recommendation: Integrate the gift wrapping option more smoothly into the checkout flow.

Clearly state:

  • What the wrapping includes (e.g., branded wrap, message card, etc.)

  • The cost (if any)

  • A visual preview or sample image

  • Add “Why this is a good idea” e.g., Perfect for birthdays, holidays, etc.


E-commerce isn’t just transactional, it’s emotional.

Gifting taps into powerful emotions like love, gratitude, and celebration, all of which drive impulse purchases and higher AOV (Average Order Value).

Yet Jumia offers no gift wrap option, no personalization, and no message field.

For someone buying a birthday or festive present, there’s no way to indicate it, or to make the experience feel special.

  • UX Violation: According to Baymard Institute guideline #753, Gift options should be simple, clear, and emotional.

  • Heuristic Violation: No match between the system and the real world

  • Business Impact: Lost AOV growth + missed emotional connection with users. This also contributes to checkout abandonment.

Recommendation: Integrate the gift wrapping option more smoothly into the checkout flow.

Clearly state:

  • What the wrapping includes (e.g., branded wrap, message card, etc.)

  • The cost (if any)

  • A visual preview or sample image

  • Add “Why this is a good idea” e.g., Perfect for birthdays, holidays, etc.


Before

After

  1. No Gift Wrapping Option

Before

After

According to Baymard Institute, 34% of shoppers abandon their cart if they’re forced to create an account.

Jumia still prioritizes login over convenience.

There’s no “Checkout as Guest”, and no easy path for one-time buyers.

In a market where digital trust is fragile, forcing users to commit upfront is a conversion killer.


Heuristic Violation: Lack of flexibility and efficiency of use

Business Impact: Friction for first-time users results in abandoned carts. This also massively lowers the conversion rate.

  1. No Gift Wrapping Option

  1. No Gift Wrapping Option

After

E-commerce isn’t just transactional, it’s emotional.

Gifting taps into powerful emotions like love, gratitude, and celebration, all of which drive impulse purchases and higher AOV (Average Order Value).

Yet Jumia offers no gift wrap option, no personalization, and no message field.

For someone buying a birthday or festive present, there’s no way to indicate it, or to make the experience feel special.

  • UX Violation: According to Baymard Institute guideline #753, Gift options should be simple, clear, and emotional.

  • Heuristic Violation: No match between the system and the real world

  • Business Impact: Lost AOV growth + missed emotional connection with users. This also contributes to checkout abandonment.


Recommendation: Integrate the gift wrapping option more smoothly into the checkout flow.

Clearly state:

  • What the wrapping includes (e.g., branded wrap, message card, etc.)

  • The cost (if any)

  • A visual preview or sample image

  • Add “Why this is a good idea” e.g., Perfect for birthdays, holidays, etc.


E-commerce isn’t just transactional, it’s emotional.

Gifting taps into powerful emotions like love, gratitude, and celebration, all of which drive impulse purchases and higher AOV (Average Order Value).

Yet Jumia offers no gift wrap option, no personalization, and no message field.

For someone buying a birthday or festive present, there’s no way to indicate it, or to make the experience feel special.

  • UX Violation: According to Baymard Institute guideline #753, Gift options should be simple, clear, and emotional.

  • Heuristic Violation: No match between the system and the real world

  • Business Impact: Lost AOV growth + missed emotional connection with users. This also contributes to checkout abandonment.

Recommendation: Integrate the gift wrapping option more smoothly into the checkout flow.

Clearly state:

  • What the wrapping includes (e.g., branded wrap, message card, etc.)

  • The cost (if any)

  • A visual preview or sample image

  • Add “Why this is a good idea” e.g., Perfect for birthdays, holidays, etc.


Before


According to Baymard Institute, 34% of shoppers abandon their cart if they’re forced to create an account.

Jumia still prioritizes login over convenience.

There’s no “Checkout as Guest”, and no easy path for one-time buyers.

In a market where digital trust is fragile, forcing users to commit upfront is a conversion killer.


Heuristic Violation: Lack of flexibility and efficiency of use

Business Impact: Friction for first-time users results in abandoned carts. This also massively lowers the conversion rate.


After

  1. Weak Cross-Selling on Product Pages

  1. Weak Cross-Selling on Product Pages

  1. Weak Cross-Selling on Product Pages

When a customer completes a purchase, trust and attention are at their peak. That’s the moment to extend the journey, not end it.

Jumia’s order confirmation page, however, doesn't currently recommend items related to what you're about to purchase.

This page could help increase lifetime value (LTV), reduce remorse, and boost repeat visits.

Instead, it leaves money and engagement on the table.

  • Issue: Missing or irrelevant “related products” suggestions.

  • Impact: Missed opportunities to increase AOV (Average Order Value).


    Recommendation: Use smarter product recommendations tied to browsing history and complementary items.

When a customer completes a purchase, trust and attention are at their peak. That’s the moment to extend the journey, not end it.

Jumia’s order confirmation page, however, doesn't currently recommend items related to what you're about to purchase.

This page could help increase lifetime value (LTV), reduce remorse, and boost repeat visits.

Instead, it leaves money and engagement on the table.

  • Issue: Missing or irrelevant “related products” suggestions.

  • Impact: Missed opportunities to increase AOV (Average Order Value).

Recommendation: Use smarter product recommendations tied to browsing history and complementary items.

Takeaway

Every business metric is a UX metric in disguise.

Fixing Jumia’s UX isn’t about aesthetics — it’s about recovering millions in lost revenue, rebuilding trust, and meeting African users (like Tolu and Amina) where they are.

Good UX isn’t a cost. It’s a growth strategy.

Every business metric is a UX metric in disguise.

Fixing Jumia’s UX isn’t about aesthetics, it’s about recovering millions in lost revenue, rebuilding trust, and meeting African users (like Tolu and Amina) where they are.

Good UX isn’t a cost. It’s a growth strategy.

Create a free website with Framer, the website builder loved by startups, designers and agencies.