Analysis of Consumer Perception of E-Commerce Services in Kano Metropolis, Kano State

The rapid growth of e-commerce in Northern Nigeria and consumer perceptions of these platforms in Kano metropolis remain underexplored, representing a gap this study addresses. This study analysed consumer perceptions of e-commerce services among 280 online shoppers in Kano metropolis, Kano State, North West Nigeria. Platforms assessed included Jumia, Konga, and various WhatsApp-based informal commerce channels popular in Kano. Perceptions were measured across dimensions of website usability, delivery reliability, product quality consistency, payment security, and return policy adequacy. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and ordinal logistic regression. Factor analysis extracted three perception constructs: service reliability, payment security, and product value. Service reliability was the most important perception dimension, explaining 34.2% of variance in overall platform satisfaction. Payment security concerns were cited by 68% of respondents as a barrier to completing purchases, with mobile transfer fraud experiences reported by 24% of surveyed shoppers. WhatsApp-based commerce was rated higher for product personalisation but lower for return policy trust. Income and educational level significantly predicted e-commerce platform preference. The study concludes that consumer perception of e-commerce in Kano is predominantly shaped by trust in payment security and delivery reliability, and recommends that platform operators invest in consumer protection guarantees and localised customer support in Hausa language to expand Northern Nigerian market penetration.

Keywords: e-commerce, consumer perception, Kano metropolis, payment security, online shopping