According to a survey by Marketlive, a provider of e-commerce technology and services, with the increased adoption of mobile technology and alternative payment methods, e-commerce is set to really take off in all South African markets. Results show that locally, e-commerce is growing at a rate of 30 percent annually, while independent studies further indicate consumers’ increase support for online retail websites.
Based on these statistics, online payment service provider PayU, which processes 65 percent of all online transactions in South Africa, has identified top three trends for 2013 that companies need to be aware of. According to CEO Mark Chirnside, it is important to understand the undercurrents of e-commerce to ensure that your company doesn’t come up short in 2013.
Top three e-commerce trends for 2013 include:• Small companies – big gains: local entrepreneurs stand to gain massively in 2013. Small to medium sized enterprises which traditionally had to vie for the same marketing space can now, in effect, sell to a captive South African online audience in a matter of days;• Safer payment methods - modernisation of the call centre industry – which in many cases still relies on call centre agent and call recording to process payments – is a top priority in 2013;• Coupon and loyalty points shopping - consumers are increasingly taking their spending habits online, a trend which is effectively capitalised on by institutions offering rewards, coupons or loyalty programmes.
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