The purchasing of air tickets accounts for two-thirds of South Africa’s online revenue, according to a new survey. Author: Elizabeth Smythe
The purchasing of air tickets accounts for two-thirds of South Africa’s online revenue, according to a new survey.
The ‘South Africa B2C E-Commerce Report 2012’ by German market research firm, yStats.com, highlighted the increase in online payment processing, revealing that the most money spent online went towards flights. E-Commerce revenue was found to have risen by a third in 2011, compared with the previous year.
Although flights brought in the most money, South Africa’s most popular website was Kalahari, purveyor of books, DVDs and music, according to thepaypers.com. This was followed by Amazon and Bid-or-Buy, South Africa’s answer to eBay.
In terms of internet users, South Africa is now the fifth largest; Nigeria hits the top spot. Apparently, almost three-quarters of South Africa’s internet users have searched the web to research or compare prices of products within the 12 month period to October 2011.
The survey also revealed that ten per cent of mobile internet users have made purchases from their devices, a trend that marketwatch.com says is expected to rise considerably in 2012 ‘spurred on by the increased use of smartphones’.
yStats.com’s report did point out that social media has grown to be one of South Africa’s biggest internet activities, with MXit having the most members. Utilising social media might therefore be beneficial to online retailers, helping them to attract and engage new customers.
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