New research supplied by the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA) indicates that one in two South Africans have shopped online over the last year.
New research supplied by the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA) indicates that one in two South Africans have shopped online over the last year.
As part of a nationwide survey, 52 per cent of the 2,263 participants said they had used Africa-based platforms like BidorBuy and Kalahari.net to buy goods over the past year, while also visiting global stores like Amazon.
The most recent valuation of South Africa’s internet economy, conducted in 2011, spawned a figure of R59 billion (around £4.2 billion). This made up 2 per cent of the country’s total economy, though researchers now believe the online shopping sector can grow to represent as much as 2.5 per cent within the next three years.
Although the first step has to be for brands to offer online payment services and delivery for shoppers in this growing market, researchers also claim that a strong presence on social networks like Facebook can also help a brand take off in South Africa, reports ventureburn.com.
Other study results showed that 39 per cent of respondents said they actively looked for brands when browsing social networks, while 72 per cent followed the brands they liked for updates and discounts.
Elna Smit, a senior market researcher at online researchers Columinate, told bdlive.co.za that users tend to trust information on social networks, so “those who have been using the internet for between three and five years or more are the most likely to shop online.”
Meanwhile Ryan Hogarth, a local communications speaker and social media expert, claimed that being connected as a business brand online would be “as important as having electricity come 2020.”
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