The jury may be out on the first wave of African e-commerce, which saw the likes of Takealot, Jumia and Konga launch, grow, secure funding, and hit the buffers, but a new era has begun.

Amazon-style e-commerce sites have not yet proven their worth in Africa, with even the heavily-touted Jumia still unprofitable and its share price substantially down after its lauded New York listing. The projections of growth and profits have not come to pass.