NAIROBI, Kenya, May 7 – Glovo says its business in Kenya is growing by up to 40 percent annually, driven by rising demand for online shopping and increased participation of small businesses on digital platforms.
The delivery and ride-hailing firm says more customers are ordering frequently, while restaurants, supermarkets and retailers are recording higher sales through the app.
Speaking during the launch of the company’s new offices in Nairobi, Glovo Co-founder and Vice President for Global Affairs Sacha Michaud described Kenya as one of the company’s fastest-growing markets globally.
“In Kenya we’re growing 35 to 40 percent year-on-year,” said Michaud, attributing the growth to improved service delivery and rising customer activity on the platform.
The company says expansion into secondary towns and increasing digital adoption among small businesses are also supporting growth.
According to Glovo, between 80 and 90 percent of merchants on its platform globally are small businesses, many of whom made their first online sale through the app.
The growth comes amid increased use of smartphones and mobile payments in Kenya, which has fueled demand for app-based delivery and convenience services.
Glovo is also increasing the use of artificial intelligence to improve deliveries, customer support and user experience.
The company says AI tools are helping assign orders to riders automatically and predict food preparation times for merchants.
Glovo Chief Technology Officer Shiro Theuri said Kenya’s market requires localized technology solutions due to differences in payment systems, addresses and infrastructure.
“Getting M-Pesa to work exactly the way we expect card payments to work is a little bit different, so we have to build a very Kenya-specific way of getting payments to work,” she said.
The company added that demand is also growing in new categories such as groceries, courier services, beauty products and pet care, which it sees as key growth areas in the future.
Glovo currently operates in 22 markets globally and says Kenya stands out due to the rapid growth of the wider digital commerce ecosystem.
