Why etailers are missing out on billions in sales: CEM Africa features latest SA Digital CX Report
Online shoppers comprise all ages and incomes now
From the ‘unboxing’ of a new purchase to the many abandoned transactions that are costing online retailers billions—the marketing gurus behind The 2021 South African Digital Customer Experience Report will unpack the compelling, and sometimes, surprising results from the survey during an exclusive panel at the upcoming CEM Africa, taking place from 10–11 November.
CEM = Customer Experience Management
CX = Customer Experience
It is the third major annual study undertaken by marketing and advertising agency Rogerwilco, market research company ovatoyou and certified customer experience professional Julia Ahlfeldt.
“Money left on the table”
The report states that “ecommerce has finally come of age in South Africa, one of the few sectors to find a silver lining in the COVID-19 cloud”. The data shows that income and age are no longer barriers for participation in online shopping. For example, the 50+ category is just as likely to be conducting research and making online purchases as their counterparts in their 20s and 30s, while 73% of those with a monthly household income of less than R10 000 per month are shopping online.
However, the report emphasises that basic flaws in the online experience for customers are costing etailers billions in potential turnover.Cart abandonment, where a consumer adds a product to their cart but does not go through with the transaction, is high among South African online shoppers according to the report (76% of those surveyed), and is estimated to cost online retailers more than R20.4bn.
“Cart abandonment is money left on the table, plain and simple”, notes Julia Ahlfeldt. “A customer has invested the time to choose a retailer, investigate products, and then jumps ship because the experience falls short. This leaves a double whammy of lost revenue and an annoyed customer.”
‘Unboxing’ the purchase
Amanda Reekie, from ovatoyou, believes that even though the fulfilment landscape has matured, challenges remain: “It is going to take real creative thinking and collaboration to open up improved delivery options that are less expensive”.
Delivery, however, was surpassed in the report by the 34% who said unboxing their new purchase was the most memorable aspect of their online shopping experience (the balance spoke to the point at which they made the purchase (19%), the thrill of the research (10%) and the after sales support (4%)).
“Good UX minimizes frustration”
The report further reveals that Takealot is one of South Africa’s most loved and trustworthy brands, thanks to (among others) the user experience (UX) of the online customer.
According to Rogerwilco CEO Charlie Stewart, good UX minimises frustration, reduces second guessing and stops customers from switching across to a rival site: “Retailers need to recognise that consumers are becoming more loyal to the experience than they are to the brand. Anything that improves the experience creates stickiness”.
CEM Africa’s exclusive panel on The 2021 South African Digital Customer Experience Report will include the authors: Charlie Stewart, Amanda Reekie and Julia Ahlfeldt. Joining them are Joseph Sindaha from Nestlé, and Janine George from Carrol Boyes. The discussion will be streamed live on Day 2 from 09:30am–10:15am SAST on 11 November.
Honest retellings of CX experiences
The CEM Africa Summit has been around for a decade and has played a leading role in South Africa’s customer experience journey and has connected thousands of CX professionals over the years.
Confirmed event sponsors so far include Freshworks, Verint, Insider, Infobip, Rogerwilco, Simplify360 and Inquba.
CX experts from some of the most recognised and successful brands on the continent, including Multichoice, Woolworths, Shoprite, Superbalist, African Bank, DHL and Rand Merchant Bank, will share their successes, failures and lessons learnt during the event.
How to join them?
CEM Africa returns via a world-class virtual event platform offering access to the live keynotes, panel discussions and the agenda. Attendees will be able to engage with the speakers and participate in Q&A sessions, polls and surveys. They can also contact exhibitors via chat or video call, exchange business cards with other participants and download brochures. To register and access the full programme, click here.
About CEM Africa
CEM Africa is the largest online CX event on the continent and is organised by Kinetic Events, which is a partner of The Vuka Group (formerly Clarion Events Africa).
Dates and location:
Dates: 10–11 November 2021
Venue: Online
Website: https://cemafricasummit.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cem-africa-summit/
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/CEMAfrica/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CEMAfricaSummit
Media registration: You can register to attend for free here
Media contacts:
Adam Fletcher, Chief Marketing Officer, CEM Africa
Mobile: 071 130 9160
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Annemarie Roodbol
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
There's Something for Everyone at the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg in 2019 - Don't Miss Out!
This year’s Royal Show is set to be our best ever! With the focus on introducing ‘town to country’ and affording guests an educational and fun-filled experience; the 169th Royal Show opens its gates on Friday, 24 May.
Aside from agriculture, the Royal Show continues to cater for a broad mix of 450 or so commercial, industrial and service sector exhibits, including informative and professional displays by the SANDF and SAPS, amongst others. Indeed, #SomethingForEveryone. No visit to the Royal Show is complete without entertainment, and 2019 again promises to excite the senses and ensure a memorable time for young and old.
Get My Tickets: http://www.royalshow.co.za/shop/ What Can I Expect? Find out all you need to know on what’s happening this year here: https://www.royalshow.co.za/royal-show-2019-whats-happening-year/ Calling all restaurants, hotels, butchers and appreciators of world-class award-winning meat, this event is not to be missed!
The biggest auction and event on SA's meat industry calendar, this VIP carcass competition auction will see a winning bidder go home with a championship carcass from the Landbouweekblad Royal Carcass Competition's various categories, including beef, pork and lamb. https://www.royalshow.co.za/dont-miss-the-prestigious-carcass-auction-at-the-royal-show-2019/ I Want to Visit the Royal Show This Year, How Do I Get Tickets?
There are so many exciting things happening at the Royal Show this year, so get your tickets now and visit on the days you like.
Beat the Queues and Order Your Tickets Online Today! https://www.royalshow.co.za/product/tickets/ Follow us On Social Media to Stay Updated on What’s Happening When, Competitions and Specials! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/royalshowpietermaritzburg/
For More Info, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
South Africans can now sell art & crafts online
A new online art and craft marketplace launched in January 2015, allowing South Africans to sell their art and handmade goods online. The Craft Shoppe is a virtual craft market, offering sellers their own store within the main webstore, and the opportunity to sell their work to both South African and international online markets.
The website is free to join, and members can list as many items as they wish. Sellers can log in to their own private dashboard to list and track products. They can offer discounts and coupons, apply shipping fees per product or offer free shipping for certain orders. The website tracks all orders and sales, and credits members' accounts with the proceeds of their sales less 15%. The Craft Shoppe has provided a step-by-step Seller Guide to help new sellers get started and make the most of all of the features that the website offers. Further, their Support Forum gives members a direct link for answers to questions.
The website was created by Erica Keegan of Johannesburg, South Africa, who, like many South Africans, was inspired by successful US based craft webstore, Etsy, but frustrated by the limitations of having to use Paypal as payment processor. The Craft Shoppe offers a South African alternative to Etsy. Members list their items in Rands, and get paid out Rands directly into their South African bank accounts. All the seller has to do is ship their work in good time and good order.
The Craft Shoppe can be viewed at www.thecraftshoppe.co.za, with all enquiries being directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Written by Erica Keegan, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +27818365416
Online Buying and Selling Reinvented
SOUTH AFRICA – Jan, 2015 – After much anticipation LiveBids Auctions has been launched in South Africa. LiveBids offers a unique online buying and selling platform that incorporates different aspects of various social media.
This means that a choice of interests, following friend’s, search hundreds of products while buying items for a fraction of the cost and selling them to make real profits.
LiveBids aims to help buyers and sellers fully connect in trade with seamless transactions. It is an online marketplace that is simple, interactive and social. It allows users to experience a real-time marketplace, buy products lower than the market value and socially follow buyers and sellers.
Two formats are used, namely online auctions and pay-per-bid. The first of these is the traditional online auction model, where items are sold to the highest bidder. The second is a pay-per-bid model, where would-be buyers purchase credits to bid on items. These credits go to the seller, which is how it is possible to purchase big-ticket items for nominal amounts.
The founders of LiveBids, Rory Vollmer and Paul Hoft, explain that “the idea was to create an online marketplace that was simple, interactive and social, helping buyers and sellers connect and trade. The marketplace is completely people driven”.
Visit www.livebids.co.za to empower yourself by becoming an online buyer and seller today!
For further information regarding LiveBids Auctions, or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Contact Rory Vollmer,
Co-Founder and Head of Marketing
Phone: +27 (0) 21 300 8446
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.livebids.co.za
StateoftheART Launches New Website
Cape Town based StateoftheART, an innovator in the online art world, has been showcasing and selling affordable contemporary art by emerging artists since 2010. This month they launched their new website to support the keen interest in South African art, bringing their works to a global audience with easy access via the web.
The recent boom in the online art trade, currently valued at around R28bn is forecast to more than double by 2018. At least 71% of art collectors have now purchased artwork online according to the 2014 Hiscox Online Trade Report , with that number expected to rise. StateoftheART founder Jennifer Reynolds says "We want to offer our visitors the personal touch and intimacy of a gallery setting, without the limited selection associated with a physical space. More than half of our customers use a mobile device to browse our online art gallery, perhaps because there is something particularly satisfying about viewing art on a tablet as the tactile experience of holding the device feels almost the same as picking up a painting to look at it more closely."
The great advantage of StateoftheART is that it affords visitors to the site the opportunity to discover and buy affordable fine art that would not otherwise be easily found. The slick and easy to use website allows visitors to browse and buy high quality art in the comfort of their own home, making contemporary art even more accessible. Works can be bought directly from the website and delivered anywhere in the world. The site offers a 7 day money-back guarantee. To discover the world of StateoftheART, please visit www.stateoftheart-gallery.com
About
StateoftheART is South Africa's premier online gallery where you will discover an exclusive selection of carefully curated art by top emerging artists. Our virtual platform is complemented by the brick-and-mortar StateoftheART gallery in Cape Town; an intimate space in which we regularly host exhibitions and where art lovers can view a dynamic selection of works by our represented artists.
For images, information and interviews with Jennifer Reynolds, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Asking For It? | an exhibition by Maria Patrizi at StateoftheART
StateoftheART is proud to present 'Asking For It?' an exhibition of paintings by Maria Patrizi on the Exhibition Wall.
This series of work is the artist's response to the excuse often given that clothes are responsible for rape. Women displaying their femininity and/or sensuality, are considered to be handing out open invitations to being verbally or sexually abused.
"By moulding clothing into evocative and anonymous female forms, the artist has given the clothes a voice, "we are just clothes, so what exactly are we asking for?"" - Maria Patrizi
Patrizi's work has often been compared to photographic negatives. "At first the comparison surprised me but after some thought, I couldn't believe I hadn't made the connection myself" she says.
The starting point for all her paintings are photographs that she have taken and then manipulated. De-cluttering and reducing the images so that she can focus solely on the shapes she finds relevant.
Opens 6th November @6pm
06.11.2014 till 15.11.2014
StateoftheART
61 Shortmarket Street, (between Loop & Bree)
Cape Town.
Gallery hours:
10am-5pm weekdays,
10am-2pm Saturdays.
The exhibition will be available to preview online through the StateoftheART website from the 4th of November.
For more information please contact Jennifer on 0724709272 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Contra Natura | (Against Nature) by Werner Ungerer at StateoftheART
StateoftheART is delighted to present 'Contra Natura' (Against Nature) by Werner Ungerer. This work consists of 18 loose sheets of calligraphy and text, contained in clamp-shell box. Contra Natura is a short story hand-illuminated in a medieval calligraphic hand "gothic textura quadrata". The digital and the archaic worked hand in hand in the production of this work which took Ungerer two years to complete.
The story follows a modern day priest teaching at a Catholic school. He confiscates an image torn from a fashion magazine from one of his pupils. The image is of a semi-naked man. The Priest is completely taken over by this image and undergoes a crises of faith. He exiles himself to an island retreat in the hope of re-connecting with his faith. In complete isolation, the power of the image grows stronger and its hold over the Priest more intense. As the depression of the Priest escalates we are drawn deeper into his internal struggle and ultimate psychological collapse. In the end he confronts himself and the story takes on a more surreal turn. He survives a violent attack by an unknown assailant (The Devil?) on the beach. He has a near death experience during which he encounters mythical versions of his mother and father. His mother is the Veiled Woman in Black sitting in a dead cornfield in the heat. His father is Legion – a mad prophet sitting on a dune in the desert, overlooking a fallen city. They serve as the Priest’s guide as he travels through the underworld and moves closer to resolve and acceptance or farther away from it.
"The title “Contra Natura” or, Against Nature was selected not only for subversive reasons. It also had a more direct meaning in that I needed to invent a new work-process for myself. I normally work very much on an intuitive level, often abandoning works mid-way and going off on different tangents. With this work I wanted to go against my own nature and submit myself to severe processes of order, structure, tradition and discipline." - Werner Ungerer
Opens at 6pm on the 4th September
04.09.2014 till 20.09.2014
StateoftheART
61 Shortmarket Street (between Loop & Bree)
Cape Town
10am - 5pm week days
10am - 2pm Saturdays or by appointment
For more information contact Jennifer on +27 (0)724709272 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Setcom Partners with Digital Planet to Deliver Holistic E-commerce Solutions
Leading South African Payment Gateway, Setcom Payment Solutions, today announced their partnership with innovative e-commerce solution provider, Digital Planet. This partnership will enable Setcom to introduce a wider range of e-commerce services to their existing portfolio of online credit card processing, SID Instant EFT and mobile payment solutions.
“We feel that Digital Planet’s services would be of great value to our client base, as they have a proven track record in terms of optimising efficiencies across the entire e-commerce value chain. We look forward to collaborating with Digital Planet to provide our clients with holistic e-commerce solutions that will have a positive impact on their business performance,” said Setcom CEO, Kumalan Naidoo.
Digital Planet has been assisting some of South Africa’s biggest businesses and brands for over 15 years by enabling e-commerce efficiencies and helping their clients realise e-commerce goals. Running a successful e-commerce business can be very challenging, as it requires efficiencies in a number of areas, such as website design and development, payment integration, digital marketing, fulfilment, customer service and logistics. This is where Digital Planet’s expertise can help improve and streamline competencies across the board.
“Digital Planet continually strives to add value to our clients, and working with Setcom has allowed us to offer more flexibility to our clients when it comes to online payments. This is very important to us because secure payment methods are one of the most important consideration factors for online shoppers in South Africa,” added Cassie van Wyk, Head of E-commerce at Digital Planet.
Setcom facilitates secure credit card and SID Instant EFT transactions across multiple channels, making them a one-stop payment solution partner. Setcom’s payment infrastructure paired with Digital Planet’s e-commerce expertise will surely make for a winning combination for years to come.
About Setcom:
Setcom has been one of South Africa’s most trusted Payment Gateways since 1998. They offer secure online and mobile credit card payment processing, SID instant EFT and fraud prevention services to entrepreneurs looking for a reliable, affordable payment solutions partner.
Part of the Setcom methodology is to offer traditional and non-traditional payment types across multiple channels, partnered with an effective reporting and reconciliation platform that enables efficient processing of payments. The offering is further enhanced by a fraud and risk management system that operates across multiple channels to ensure optimal business performance.
As payments evolved through traditional retail environments and the Internet, Setcom has been at the forefront of developing products that not only differentiate, but allows business to partner with technology to expedite growth and revenues. For more information, visit www.setcom.com.
About Digital Planet:
For more than a decade, Digital Planet has helped companies build and manage profitable online businesses. They offer a complete solution: world-class e-commerce websites, back-end order management systems, e-commerce expertise, online marketing, call centre services and fulfillment services.
Digital Planet was founded in September 1999 when they launched the Digital Planet online electronics store. It was early days for the e-commerce industry in South Africa and there weren’t many skills available, so they built our own end-to-end solution for the business. This solution included the front end marketing, merchandising and technology, as well as the back-end logistics and customer services. They mastered all the nuances of a virtual business in South Africa.
They soon had customers knocking on their door to help them build and run their own online businesses. Digital Planet quickly won clients including the major brands Hewlett-Packard and Discovery Vitality, both of which are still with Digital Planet today, more than a decade later. For more information, visit www.digitalplanet.co.za.
