Why have an online shop in South Africa?
Hi guys
I have found a very interesting article online about how e-commerce is changing the way that business is conducted. Read it from Finweek .
It basically states that African consumers are searching to buy stuff online. It’s staggering to see how little of the global market is held within Africa and the Middle East, around 2%. This means that the potential for growth is huge. Therefore the sooner businesses are able to offer products and services online the better for them.
We must remember that mobile devices especially in South Africa have seen massive growth. This means anyone is able to access the internet either via their smartphone, tablet or similar device.
Consider the following scenarios :
- 10 clients enter your shop at once. They are all coming to purchase or at least wanting to purchase your stuff. You have 2 staff assisting meaning 8 clients must wait. They either wait or leave.
- In the same scenario, online everyone can be helped at the same time. Let’s forget the technical issues for the moment and appreciate the value this tool adds to any business.
In the above scenario it is undoubted that an online shop trumps traditional trade. If online mediums are being used across the world and seems to be working well. Why are we therefore so hesitant to adopt it when shopping? Everyone has a Gmail email account or Facebook profile. Where information is shared freely and sometimes less securely than a proper eCommerce website.
I say let’s up the 2%. Let’s look at the benefits for your clients.
- They have no need to leave their couch. They won’t mind paying a delivery fee if they get great online service.
- No queues or dealing with unfriendly sales people (on a bad day of course, your staff are great).
What about the benefits for you?
First of all, more revenue, your site should sell your product for you and it won’t forget a feature or benefit of your product. Finally it will treat all clients the same. In addition to this you will have a mechanism of saving their details for future products upsells.
Thanks for reading.
Graham (Web Designer Cape Town)
G Web Design (Web Design Cape Town)