South Africa’s eCommerce industry is booming as a result of retailers who were constrained from operating normally due to lockdown and safety restrictions.
Now, with lockdown restrictions easing, the temptation is to throttle back on online efforts and go back to the ways of old. That would be a big mistake, believes Warrick Kernes, founder of the Insaka eCommerce Academy.
“Previously the challenge with building an online store was creating a website and taking payments online or delivering a parcel overnight. Today, these challenges are largely solved, but now a new challenge has emerged due to the mass of sellers coming online,” says Kernes.
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Here are four ways to make your eCommerce business stand out online:
- Do the basics right. Work hard to create trust by offering great customer service and delivering fast.
- Market across all platforms. “There isn’t one social media platform which is going to turn your business around, there isn’t a secret switch to make orders pour through your site,” says Kernes. Instead, he suggests testing a variety of marketing channels and approaches.
- Keep learning and growing. Building a slick online store is just the beginning, to truly succeed you need to continually invest your time in learning how to develop a sustainable online business.
- Pick your partners with care. Find and partner with companies that support your customer service drive.
