E-Commerce: No Longer an Optional Extra for South African Businesses

Consumers, especially the younger generation, are showing an ever increasing preference for online buying, but retailers are not necessarily responding to this growing trend in South Africa.

South African retailers who are yet to enter the world of e-commerce will find themselves struggling to catch-up to new, online focused competition very soon.  The modern consumer wants convenience and a real store experience while shopping online and businesses now need to apply marketing and brand-building equally in the brick and mortar and online shopping environment. People are becoming more comfortable with online shopping and we all agree that the advancement of technology is limitless, but the death of the physical store is still only a far-fetched theory. 

Retailers should be careful not to be left behind as the growth of e-commerce accelerates remarkably in the next 10 years. Competition in online retail will only become more intense in the next few years with the emergence of an affluent, consumption-oriented middle class driving online shopping even more.  Smartphones and tablets became consumers’ constant companions and enable them to shop anywhere and anytime. 

With the current state of affairs of emerging markets, such as South Africa, the ideal offering would be an e-commerce website to complement an existing retail store.  You can expect to pay anything from R7500 (basic) and upwards for a quality e-commerce website with secure payment gateways.

Written by: Christine Kleyn

Copywriter at The Computer Guyz Cape Town and Centurion