Retail
New eCommerce Platform to Rival Takealot Launches in South Africa
Image sourced from MyBroadband Everystore is officially South Africa’s newest eCommerce platform. The online store is owned by and brings together the brands of the JD Group (HiFi Corp, Incredible Connection, Bradlows and Russels). “With the support of our existing retail businesses we have partnered with some of South Africa’s most well-known and loved brands across a number of industries including specialist electronics & appliances, furniture, fashion, footwear and DIY to deliver true value to the South African shopper through the launch of a new online retailer,” says Everyshop. Today, the site offers more than 500 brands, in 10 main categories – entertainment, fashion, health and beauty, perfect home, work and study, projects and DIY, lifestyle and leisure, fitness, cellular,...
Jumia to Expand Food Delivery Service in Africa
Jumia is set to expand its eCommerce offering to include food delivery. According to the company’s co-CEO, Sacha Poignonnec, 20% of all transactions across the Jumia platform is already made up of food and this is growing quickly. He also revealed that the service will expand to Egypt following the exit of Uber Eats. TechCentral writes [Poignonnec’s] comments come “after a year where demand for delivered meals and groceries has exploded worldwide as restrictions to contain the coronavirus kept people indoors”. And while countries in Africa have taken longer than others around the world to adopt this trend – due to limited access to affordable Internet solutions – Jumia is making waves to expand before other eCommerce goliaths – like Amazon – do. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_bce.td-a-rec-im...
Amazon need not Enter SA’s eCommerce Industry ‘Any Time Soon’, says Naspers CEO
Image sourced from CNBC Bob van Dijk, CEO of Naspers and Prosus believes that Amazon may not enter South Africa’s eCommerce sector “any time soon”. According to TechCentral, a key reason for this is “Naspers-controlled e-retailer Takealot.com is doing a really, really good job serving South African online consumers”. “We look closely at the Net Promoter Score, which is really whether people like the service enough to recommend it to others. There, Takealot has done just a fantastic job,” says van Dijk. “If they manage to continue to make customers happy at scale, like they have been doing, then I think there is limited room for Amazon to come in and offer something better.” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to Step Down Founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos has revealed that he will step down from his...
Solarise Africa Expands Footprint to Rwanda, Zambia and Uganda
Sourced from Saur Energy. Solarise Africa is set to expand to three new countries in Africa after signing a partnership agreement with Centennial Generating Co. This partnership will see the Pan-African energy leasing company add seven projects in Rwanda, spread across education, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, and agriculture sectors, two additional projects in Zambia and one upcoming project in Uganda, to the Solarise Africa portfolio. The Solarise team is a customer-centric, responsive and predictable partner, which aligns with our company’s approach to working with customers”, says David John Frenkil, Founder and MD of Centennial. “By partnering with Solarise, we are offering both battery energy storage and solar projects to commercial and industrial facilities. These p...
Why SMEs are the Lifeblood of the South African Economy
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent a staggering 98% of business in South Africa today. The fact that SMEs also employ between 50 and 60% of the country’s workforce and are responsible for a quarter of the job growth in the private sector – according to McKinsey – means they truly are the backbone of the South African economy. Yet it is SMEs that have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdown regulations have wreaked havoc, with the cash flows essential to sustaining smaller businesses completely drying up in some instances. Tragic stories of once-thriving businesses having to close their doors litter the financial landscape, and certainly, the virus could not come along at a worse time for owners already grappling with a precarious economy prior to its arrival. Bu...
Carrefour Launches Mobile Retail App in Kenya
Carrefour has officially introduced its new online shopping platform in Kenya. Using the mobile app, customers are expected to easily and conveniently browse and add all their essentials to a digital cart. “At Carrefour, we’re constantly finding innovative ways to modernise and digitise the shopping experience for our customers. We are confident that the new app will provide Kenyan customers with a convenient and safe option to shop from the comfort of their homes,” says Franck Moreau, Country Manager of Carrefour Kenya. “Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen the significant growth in online shopping. As such, the introduction of our new app also responds to the growing demand in Kenya for a more sophisticated online shopping platform.” According to Gadgets Africa, ...
4 Digital Payment Trends to Watch in 2021
For many businesses that had previously relied on selling their products or services in person, accepting online payments has been a significant step in digitising their offering to the local market. As eCommerce adoption rates continue to soar in 2021, digital payment solutions will need to keep pace to ensure that customers continue to shop online. Jonathan Smit, Managing Director and Founder of PayFast, predicts that 2021 will continue to see an uptake in eCommerce use and digital payments in the following four ways: Contactless continued – contactless payments have become widely accepted. Whether it be by smartphone, card or wearable device – tap-and-go has become a convenient staple for South African shoppers. Additionally, many are still wary of the COVID-19 virus spreading through s...
4 Ways Technology is Recreating the Offline Retail Experience Online
As the COVID-19 pandemic catalyses the move to eCommerce, new technologies are attempting to bridge the gap between offline and online retail by offering rich and immersive experiences that replicate in-person shopping and redefine how people experience online shopping. In brick and mortar stores, consumers are able to try, touch, and fully experience products before purchasing them, something eCommerce has until now, failed to replicate. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_0f9.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_0f9.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } But, immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR), 360° video, 3D content and virtual reality (VR) are proving to be the next frontier in eCommerce, providing shoppers with greater purchasing certainty, personalization, and control o...
PayFast Records Single R299 950 Purchase on Black Friday
The number of new shoppers introduced to eCommerce over lockdown boosted Black Friday weekend total online transaction volumes by 50%, compared to 2019. This is according to data released by online payment gateway PayFast. The company processed a 283% increase in total payment volumes on Black Friday alone compared to a normal busy day such as payday. “This year’s Black Friday spend surpassed the volumes we’ve seen in previous years. The rapid adoption of eCommerce over the course of 2020 has meant that we’ve seen more people shopping online, especially amid fears of a COVID-19 resurgence,” says Jonathan Smit, Founder of PayFast. The highest transaction for the day was R299 950 and online shoppers spent more per basket at R1 243, compared to the 2020 average basket value of R803. “Alongsid...
South African’s are Shopping More Online Thanks to COVID-19, Research Says
South African’s are spending 68% more online now than they were prior to the pandemic, according to a study by Mastercard. Essential items have seen highest surge online with the majority (81%) of SA consumers saying they purchased data, and over half saying they bought clothing (56%) and groceries (54%) online since the pandemic started. According to the research, the times we are living in have also made consumers more generous with nearly a quarter (23%) saying they have donated more to charity than pre-lockdown. Consumers are supporting their favourite local small businesses, with 63% of respondents saying that they are making a conscious effort to shop online at these stores. With fewer opportunities to browse in the stores or on the high-street, social media has emerged as the main p...
Tackling Trends and Challenges for Black Friday in 2020
With the Black Friday shopping frenzy around the corner, the digital economy this year is expected to receive an enormous boost as many people will want to avoid crowds and take their shopping online. After a difficult year marked by severe disruptions and decreased demand, businesses will also be relying on this period to make up for losses due to the pandemic. As Black Friday is set to be so different, what can businesses expect to see? The opportunity for increased sales has led to many businesses treating November as ‘Black Friday Month’, giving customers a lot more time to find exactly what they want at the best price. Physical stores may see a lot less foot traffic as customers who opt for the safety and convenience of online retail platforms instead. Adobe predicts that online Blac...
