Fiji eCommerce

Fiji’s eCommerce market is growing steadily. 
Revenue from Fiji’s eCommerce market is projected to reach US$203.90m in 2022 and US$350.4m by 2025 according to the 2022 Statista Digital Market Outlook. This represents a year-on-year increase of 19.78 percent. Consumers in Fiji typically spend the most on “electronics” and “food” making up 32 percent and 18 percent of the total revenue respectively.  With over 330 islands, 110 of which are permanently inhabited and scattered across the country, Fiji faces challenges in developing its ICT infrastructure due to its geographical features and layout.  An analysis by Datareportal states that Fiji’s internet penetration rate stands at 74.6 percent at the start of 2022. Fiji is currently ranked the fourth cheapest country in terms of the average cost of 1GB of mobile data (US$0.15) on Cable UK’s Worldwide Mobile Data Pricing ranking. 

Domestic eCommerce (B2C)
Examples of Fiji’s local ecommerce platforms include Multi Drua, Post Fiji e-Shop, Vitikart, etc. The remainder of B2C eCommerce takes place at the individual company website. With over 500,000 active (60 percent of the population) Facebook users in Fiji, social media is also a big driver in the promotion of B2C transactions. Retailers are driving sales through a mix of shop and online promotions or “multi-channel”. The finance industry is a major driver with six commercial banks providing internet banking and SMS banking services for accessing accounts, paying bills, and making mobile transactions. 

Mobile money 
About 300 sites, typically in the rural areas of Fiji, do not have mobile phone connectivity. Fiji’s GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index score stands at 60.3 (2021) with mobile broadband connections (penetration) at 133 percent and over a million connections, which indicates a high percentage of the population have two or more phones. Mobile money was introduced in Fiji just over a decade ago, providing customers the ability to transfer funds, pay bills, and deposit or withdraw cash using their mobile phones. The recent pandemic has forced many Fijian businesses to adopt cashless payment methods resulting in the tremendous increase of mobile money wallet transactions in value and volume. Since 2018, customers are receiving remittances from abroad through mobile money wallets. Remittances received through mobile money wallet transactions hit a record high of FJ$800 million in 2021.

Overall, Fiji remains one of the most developed economies in Pacific Island region in terms of ICT infrastructure, with a global ranking of 107th place out of 176 nations in the ITU ICT Development Index. Fiji has 238 secure internet servers, which is the second highest number in the Pacific Island region after Papua New Guinea and excluding the French Territories. 
Cash-based economy 

Cash remains the most common payment method used by individuals and businesses in Fiji. The use of debit cards is significantly higher than the use of credit cards, with 97 percent of adults owning debit cards in Fiji in 2018 while less than 3 percent of adults own credit cards, according to the IMF Financial Access Survey. Credit cards and debit cards are not commonly used for day-to-day transactions.   

For further information on Fiji’s eCommerce industry and market opportunities, contact: Losana.Mavaeao@trade.gov