BABAFEMI JACOBS Impact of Outdoor Advertising on the Growth of E-Commerce in Nigeria NTAtvc Journal of Communication. June, 2019; 3(1): 89 – 97 89 Impact of Outdoor Advertising on the Growth of E-Commerce in Nigeria BABAFEMI JACOBS Department of Mass Communication and Media Technology, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria Jacobs.Femi@lcu.edu.ng; Babafemi02@yahoo.com Abstract This study focuses on the impact that outdoor advertising has on the growth of e-commerce in modern day Nigeria. E-commerce is a form of commerce that has to do with buying and selling activities that are conducted online. The practice of e-commerce in most countries has changed the way and manner in which business is done in one way or the other. This research is aimed at finding out whether outdoor advertisements of e- commerce platforms have any impact on the growth of e-commerce in Nigeria or not. The Uses and Gratification theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Data generated from 264 respondents from the University of Ibadan and Lead City University, Ibadan who filled the questionnaire distributed was collated and analyzed to provide answers to the knowledge gap that this study sought to fill up. Results show that outdoor advertising has contributed immensely to the growth of the e-commerce industry and can be used to create further growth of e-commerce companies and the industry at large. E-commerce companies can create awareness, grow and maintain a significant or positive relationship with customers and other stakeholders in their sector through outdoor advertising. It is recommended that outdoor advertising should be creatively used by the stakeholders in the industry to stimulate its growth as well as ensure that the issues faced by e-commerce users are well addressed and solved through the advert messages presented to the people via various outdoor media forms like billboards, mobile vans, etc. Keywords: advertising, outdoor advertising, e-commerce, mass media, Nigeria Introduction Jefkins (1977, p.211) in Ehikwe (2005) defines outdoor advertising as any word, letter, model, sign, placard, board notice, device or representation, whether illuminated or not, used for the purpose of advertisement, announcement or direction. It can be defined as the display of paper posters on static sites. Hasan (2013, p.694) posits that outdoor advertising media include posters, painted bulletins, electric spectaculars, hoardings, boards, neon signs, glow signs, wall writing, balloons, etc. Outdoor advertising is a big industry known for its simplicity, strong graphic treatment, high level of coverage and its relatively cheapness. The impact of advertising on consumer decision making is one that is quite huge depending on the type of advertising and advertising message being examined. The influence of technology on commerce is quite high. It has led to the evolution of E-commerce (electronic commerce) in the world. According to Hasan (2013, p.678), electronic commerce involves the production, advertising, sale and distribution of production via telecommunication networks. E-commerce via the internet has already made inroads into traditional business and trade at both local and global levels. In Nigeria, e- commerce is popular with websites like Konga.com, OLX.com, Kaymu.com and Jumia.com engaging in it.