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Ecommerce

  • Groupon South Africa is dead: here’s what will happen to your orders

    By on 4 November, 2016

    Back in September 2015, Memeburn reported that ecommerce platform Groupon began shedding global offices in an effort to "make the business more efficient". And while South Africa wasn't a country affected back then, it is now. Groupon South Africa today announced that it will shutter its operations in the country, in a bid to further streamline its global business operations. Groupon launched in South Africa in 2010 after it bought local startup Twangoo. Groupon South Africa will effectively shutter on 30 November "We are sorry to inform you that as of 4 November 2016, Groupon has wound down its operations in South Africa...

  • Opera: OLX, Letgo tracks you more than Takealot, Gumtree

    By on 2 November, 2016

    New research from Opera Software found that over half of the top 60 Android shopping apps collect personal information via trackers. However, South Africa's OLX and Letgo were mentioned as some of the worst offenders as well. The two South African services were joined by the likes of Flipkart, Amazon, JC Penney, Best Buy and eBay Kleinanzeigen as the shopping apps with the highest amount of trackers. These trackers collected information such as your name, email address, location, phone number and search terms, Opera wrote in an emailed press release. The results were obtained using privacy mode in the updated Opera Max...

  • FNB introduces FNB Pay, fingerprint ID support in app

    By on 5 October, 2016

    FNB has announced version five of its banking app, with several big features in tow. The first feature is FNB Pay, allowing users to pay for goods/services under R200 by simply tapping their NFC-equipped Android phone against a contactless-enabled point of sale terminal. Purchases of more than R200 will require a PIN code in addition to fingerprint authentication, it seems. Unfortunately, iOS owners seem to be out of luck regarding Pay for now. The bank has confirmed having talks with Apple about Apple Pay however, but there's no ETA on this feature. "As of today, FNB customers with an NFC enabled Android device can...

  • My Vodacom app now supports Mastercard’s Masterpass

    By on 4 October, 2016

    South African telecoms giant Vodacom has announced that its customers can now "buy airtime, data bundles and SMS bundles through the My Vodacom mobile application" using Mastercard's mobile payment gateway Masterpass. Previously, purchasing airtime required users to leave the My Vodacom app, but this change now allows Vodacom users to purchase these items and services directly from the network's app. Masterpass, according to a press release, aims to "support all forms of commerce in order to address the widest range of merchant experiences and consumer needs". The service requires a single payment card capture -- which means consumers needn't continually re-register the card...

  • B2B companies must evolve or lose out on $1-tn market

    By on 4 October, 2016

    B2B companies will need to adapt their thinking and delivery approach if they want to benefit from a B2B ecommerce market that is fast approaching the US$1-trillion mark in the US alone. It is estimated that by the end of 2016, US B2B eCommerce will total US$855-billion. A forecasted CAGR of 7.7% will push this number over the US$1-trillion mark by 2020. B2B ecommerce today is no longer merely a bolt-on to most B2B businesses. It is now deeply woven into the very fabric of many companies, and B2B ecommerce organisations are investing heavily in re-platforming and re-building B2B ecommerce sites,...

  • The growth of Africa’s ecommerce future lies offline

    By on 26 September, 2016

    Ecommerce in Africa has experienced massive year-on-year growth. Despite infrastructure challenges, ecommerce is expected to see 40% annual growth for the next ten years. Africa, outside of South Africa, is a mobile-first, and largely unbanked economy. With mobile penetration reaching close to 70% on the continent, technology has shown extraordinary innovation, especially in the fintech sector. The link between digital media and ecommerce is well documented and easily trackable. For this reason, we’ve scrutinised case studies highlighting the role social media plays in ecommerce success, and have ploughed expertise, time, and energy into building campaigns. However, it is critical to bear in...

  • Instant EFT could help overcome South Africa’s online retail challenges

    By on 8 September, 2016

    While online retail still only accounts for 1% of retail revenue in South Africa, the growth rate of more than 20% year-on-year since 2000 speaks volumes about the need for every business to seriously plan for an online presence. The 2016 numbers from World Wide Worx released in April this year, not only show good growth for the year, but forecasts for 2020 show the figures doubling from their current baseline. While this is great news for the economy, there remain many obstacles for the general business community when it comes to taking the leap in creating a virtual channel to market. First...

  • Online still accounts for just 1% of total SA retail

    By on 6 April, 2016

    The South African ecommerce space is growing seriously fast -- more than 26% in 2015 alone -- but it still accounts for just one percent of the country's total retail spend. That's according to the latest Online Retail in South Africa 2016 report, released on Wednesday by World Wide Worx. According to the report, ecommerce has maintained a higher than 20% growth since the turn of the century and in 2015 was worth R7.5-billion. While the rate of growth is expected to slow down a little in 2016, the report says that growth in Rand terms is expected to...

  • Sending payments online: what business need to know

    By on 1 April, 2016

    Each year, society creeps ever closer to an entirely digital life. No matter your business, your customers are going to expect an easier way to pay. Checkout pages are critical for ecommerce businesses, and all other service providers need to offer some varying methods for online billing and payments. Even payroll is simplified when you switch to digital. Make it as easy as possible to send and receive payments by taking advantage of some of the digital and automated methods available to you. Automate Your Payroll System If you’ve got employees (digital or in-house), you’re wasting valuable time and energy by...

  • Sorry ecommerce evangelists, people still prefer real stores

    By on 15 March, 2016

    Despite the fact that the digital age has encouraged more people to shop and browse products online, physical stores are still, surprisingly, the number one destination for shoppers, according to the global PwC consumer survey: “Total Retail: Retailers and the Age of Disruption”. Surveying 19 000 respondents worldwide, the report revealed that the physical store remains the retail touch point with the highest frequency and highlights the need for retailers to create a noteworthy customer experience in order to differentiate their offering in such a competitive space. Research by TimeTrade echoes the PwC report, indicating that 85% of consumers still prefer...

  • Is mobile driving a South African ecommerce explosion?

    By on 17 February, 2016

    South Africa's ecommerce space is set to see a mobile explosion this year, with mobile being responsible for a massive part of that growth. That's according to research released on Wednesday by PayPal, which suggests that online shopping in South Africa is expected to reach R37-billion this year. While that's significantly more than the R28.8-billion which was spent online in 2015, the number is expected rise even higher -- to R46-billion in 2017. By that stage, the research suggests, mobile will account for around R19-billion of overall online shopping. "There is no doubt that the rapid penetration of smartphones in South...

  • 8 fool-proof ways of collecting more customer reviews

    By on 17 February, 2016

    Customer reviews and feedback. You want them. You absolutely, totally want them. They tell you how you are doing, how much you are being loved (or despised), where you are going wrong, and how to set it right. They build credibility for you and improve your online presence. A recent survey of 1000 consumers revealed 67% people trust online reviews: This alone is reason enough for you to start being proactive about collecting them. Once you have understood the critical importance of getting your customers to advocate your business, which is what user reviews essentially are, you’d want to get...

  • CallPay, PayU launch mPOS app in Turkey

    By on 16 February, 2016

    Telephony card-based payments company CallPay on Tuesday announced a partnership with Naspers-owned PayU to launch a mobile payments app in Turkey. The deal, which is aimed at providing existing and new PayU Turkey merchants with a secure solution to accept mobile payments, allows merchants to accept card payments on the fly using their smartphone and the PayU mPOS Application. Making use of an application based card reader, PayU mPOS can process card transactions in multiple currencies and supports instalment sales in Turkey. Merchants can then email or SMS transaction receipts to their customers. The companies said the application further...

  • Visa opens up payment tech to devs around the globe

    By on 5 February, 2016

    Visa this week announced that the launch of Visa Developer, a platform which it says makes its payment technologies freely available to developers as it looks to accelerate its presence in the ecommerce space. According to a press release issued by Visa, the platform is aimed specifically at financial institutions, merchants, and technology companies. The idea, the financial services giant says, is to help these companies "meet the demands of consumers and merchants, who increasingly rely on connected devices to shop, pay and get paid". The platform offers access to some of Visa payment technologies and services including account holder...

  • A digital customer experience revolution could save the brick and mortar store

    By on 22 January, 2016

    The retail model of the future will be a radically different experience from today, largely driven by the changing shopping demands of the younger hyper-connected consumer. Bricks-and-mortar retailing will remain to be a very significant part in retail, however the lines between channels will erode at the benefit of both the customer and the business. Advances in technology will significantly improve the relationships between retailers and customers, much the way analytics is already doing to online shopping. Real opportunity lies in responding to this change, focusing on delivering a truly integrated and seamless omni-channel experience. The future of retail is...