e-com·merce

noun

• commercial transactions conducted electronically on the Internet.

Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce, is the facilitation or trading of products and services across the internet. It covers a range of different types of businesses from consumer based retail sites to music services. E-commerce is currently one of the quickest expanding sectors of the Internet to emerge. It is expected that the boundaries between conventional and electronic commerce will become increasingly blurred in the near future as more and more businesses move sections of their operations onto the Internet and mobile devices.

Let’s take a look at the South African E-commerce industry

Online shoppers around the world want the ability to search and shop on multiple channels and devices. Rightly so - in an article, E-commerce spend on SA phones to jump 70%, it is stated that smartphones in South Africa will continue to be the driving force of online shopping in the upcoming years. It is here now, call it the post-PC revolution if you will. So, is South Africa up for the challenge? Well, it seems as if the whole world has recognized the need for responsive sites and mobile platforms, and nowhere should that be more evident than in the emerging market of South Africa, where most of the new online data consumers and the next generation of online retail consumers first got online via a mobile device.

Just a few years ago, many retailers were skeptical about whether e-commerce would ever become a big thing in South Africa, but today e-commerce is booming in South Africa and is no longer the niche subset of retail it once was. As the mobile market expands, so do the number of options consumers have available. Now, customers in search of a particular product or service can choose from any number of retailers, traditional and online, local and international. Thanks to this abundance of choice, consumers have become more demanding and expect better communication with those they do business with. Consider automatic email replies promising future contact a thing of the past. Along these lines, keeping customers happy enough to keep calling them customers is one of the single challenges South African retailers face today. So - What has the doctor ordered? - Customer service mixed with expert personalisation to create unique customer experiences on mobile and desktop!

Is your Mobile Device Geared for E-commerce?

Perhaps you’re an entrepreneur with an online retail business or someone just starting out with e-commerce. Or, you’re just interested in where this industry will go. Whichever of these you are, we have one question for you - Is your mobile device geared for e-commerce? Have you got the right tools to support your own business or venture? In an article, Taking advantage of the e-commerce boom, it is mentioned that a significant proportion of the South African population remains unbanked, rendering them unable to make purchases online. As such, providing reliable mobile payment or credit line options is an essential condition for any retailer, big or small. More online retailers are therefore choosing to outsource their strategies to third-party agencies. So who are some of the forerunners in the mobile payment industry that makes forms of e-commerce possible? Snapscan and Zapper are two companies making headway in the mobile payment sphere, do take a look! Additionally, take a look at Shopify if you like to look at an example of building e-commerce websites. From fully customizable online store design, shopping carts, and payment acceptance facilities, they're all here in Sunny South Africa and available at your fingertips!

Fincheck hopes this helps you in getting your mobile device geared for e-commerce! Soon, you’ll also be able to compare payment gateways on Fincheck!