In the middle of the pandemic, several products started to be ordered through online services in Mozambique. Model still generates fears about possible scams. Government is unable to collect taxes on sales through social networks.
In Inhambane province, women traders have found in the Internet a way to reverse the cooling of economic activities caused by the pandemic of Covid-19. The closure of companies in recent months has increased the number of unemployed women, and many female workers have seen ways to seek alternative means of generating income and new business in online services.
According to DW’s report, Olinda Samuel is an example of this. She lost her job and has embraced internet commerce to sell items such as shoes and clothing for men and women. Samuel laments that search is still low due to the customers’ lack of money.
According to the entrepreneur, “not everyone accepts to deposit 50% of the money to order the product”, this makes trust a pillar of the business.
With Hudaifa Ismael, the situation is the same. When the payment is not complete at the time of ordering, you pay 50% first, and then, when you go to pick up the order, you pay the rest. She makes cakes for birthday parties and tries to extend the reach of her business by advertising to more people on social media. “I have been advertising on WhatsApp and Facebook,” she says.
Risk of scamming
For customers, selling products online is also advantageous, even through social networks. Sandra da Costa is in the habit of shopping on the Internet and says she believes the idea of the “virtual boutique” is opportune.
She explains that the store publishes the articles on WhatsApp and, if the customer is interested, she contacts them to order the piece paying half of the value. The rest is paid when picking up the piece.
Several products are placed on the internet, but there is a danger of fraud from both sellers and buyers. Lucas Vilankulo has a virtual store for the sale of various types of products.
He has already suffered several scams and explains that, “in order not to be scammed, you can’t be so greedy when selling, you have to understand how the person wants to buy, where he or she is and what means of payment he or she has to use.
Internet commerce is not controlled by the Government of Mozambique, except in cases of imports. This is why there is no concrete data on how many people do this business in the region. Benilde Macuamule, provincial director of industry and commerce in Inhambane, told DW that many people who trade on social networks do not have a license to do so. Macuamule assures that the situation may soon change through tracking and collection by the authorities.
