With the increase in online shopping quickly becoming the preferred method of buying your dream product, getting your brand to stand out and have an edge is also providing an opportunity that will make your business unique and get word-of-mouth advertising.
In this article, I want to show you how online shopping has increased in South Africa and online sales trends or consumer behaviour, before I explain how to make your product stand out from your competition in the next article.
Online Shopping South Africa: Valuable Research and Statistics
Why am I sharing online store statistics with you? Simply to express that your competition is real. There are thousands, if not millions, of brands fighting for sales. If you want to become the leader in your industry, or at least have a fighting chance to get a nice chunk of the profit pie, then you must set your product apart from the rest.
Online Store Statistics South Africa
According to a report by Research and Markets, our South African online retail shops (e-commerce) grew by 40% in 2020, and they expect a major growth percentage of about 100% year-on-year.
According to DataReportal 47% of South Africans will purchase a product or service online in 2022.
Consider Online Shopping Behaviour (Online Sales Trends)
1. Online transaction growth forecast.
According to the 10 Eccomerce Trends_eBook – Jan 2022 by iKhokha, the Head of Merchant Service and Growth at RMB and FNB, Aluwani Thenga stated in an interview
with Radio 702 that he forecasts a 150% online transaction growth by 2025.
2. What influences a prospect to buy?
It is proven that online products with a 360-degree view of images and videos about the products, make a positive impact on a consumer’s decision to buy a product.
According to DataReportal, free delivery, loyalty points, and an easy return policy are among the top deciding factors for customer purchasing decisions.
Reviews, also known as “social proof,” are a major player in providing your product and online store with credibility. It will create trust among potential customers, especially in a world where fraud and scams are prevalent online. Plus, you could score kudos with Google.
3. What prevents prospective customers to buy from you?
According to Shopify, almost 70% of shoppers abandon their carts. If you want to prevent cart abandonment, you should prevent hidden costs such as shipping costs that are only added later. Instead, build the shipping costs into your items and have a cost available if the customer opts to collect to save on costs.
Convenience is a major reason we shop online. It saves us time and money, especially because petrol prices have skyrocketed since the war in Russia vs Ukraine. If, however, it’s not convenient, shoppers will move to the next trusted brand.
Thinking outside the box
Major retailers such as Woolworths, Pick ‘n Pay, Shoprite Checkers, Mr Price, and many others have moved into the online retail space, but they still need to package and present their products to their customers in a professional manner.
In our next article we will cover some ideas on how to get your product to stand out amidst the online competition in South Africa.
We cover ways to make your product packaging personal, ways your box or packaging could help you go viral online, and some pointers on product labelling or product stickers. You can read more here.
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