Evaluating the attractiveness of the B2C e-commerce market in Dar es Salaam

Sammanfattning: The e-commerce industry in Dar es Salaam is in an early stage. This thesis is an attempt to scan the market and to evaluate its attractiveness. By doing so, we aim to be a help for entrepreneurs planning on establishing an e-commerce business in Tanzania. We have performed a qualitative study in Dar es Salaam, consisting of focus groups with consumers and interviews with consumers and existing e-commerce companies. To complement the primary data, we have collected secondary data. From our study, we can conclude that the level of attractiveness of the market depends on if the macro, meso or micro perspective is evaluated. The overall conclusion is though that the current macro conditions decrease the attractiveness, as do the characteristics of the target customer segments. The intensity of rivalry on the market is low, and the established companies do not have a lead start compared to new entrants. Given the current conditions on the market, we would not advice an entrepreneur to enter the market. The attractiveness of entering the market will, however, change as the mind-sets of the consumers and the technical infrastructure develop.