E-commerce in Egypt can look attractive in a traffic dashboard and weak in a warehouse. DataReportal estimates 98.2 million internet users at end-2025, with 82.7% penetration. That provides context for reach. A merchant still needs to know which visitors can be served at a sustainable cost. The U.S. International Trade Administration’s Egypt e-commerce guide discusses payment and logistics constraints. [M08, M09]
Measure e-commerce in Egypt after dispatch
Build a funnel from paid or confirmed order to dispatch, delivery and retained order after the return window. Segment by city, product family and payment method. Record failed delivery attempts and who pays for returns. Track contribution per placed order using collected revenue less product cost and variable payment, fulfilment and return costs, then separate marketing acquisition cost. Define which costs were allocated.
Design checkout for the delivery operation
Ask for a delivery address the courier can use. Validate phone format and test an Arabic address with a landmark, building and apartment number. Show delivery zones, charges and promises before confirmation. Give staff a way to record a rescheduled attempt without creating a second order.
Anonymized scenario: comparing two cities
A hypothetical retailer serves Cairo and Alexandria. The same online promotion produces more placed orders in one city, but the team finds more failed deliveries there. It checks courier coverage and address quality before extending the offer. Its next experiment changes the address prompt in one service zone.
FAQ
Do more orders mean better performance?
Compare delivered and retained orders, cost per delivery and contribution before scaling traffic.
Should we publish one delivery promise nationwide?
Base it on coverage and observed handoff performance by zone. Explain exceptions before the customer confirms.
Pick one fulfilment experiment
Bring Code Tank one order export and a delivery failure breakdown to choose a pilot with a useful comparison group.
