The data from the latest Salesforce Shopping Index reveals that 2023 was a mixed bag for digital commerce. Global online sales fell 2% year-on-year, but the Middle East and Africa (MEA) saw strong growth in digital commerce at 21% year-on-year.
Salesforce advises retailers and brands to focus on keeping existing customers loyal rather than on the increasingly costly acquisition of new customers.
Key takeouts from the Shopping Index include the following.
Online shopping visits less profitable
In 2022, consumer loyalty shifted. As prices rose, shoppers chose brands based on product pricing and the value of promotions rather than product availability and fulfilment convenience. Globally, as economic conditions deteriorated, consumers became more price sensitive. They reported that the number one reason they switched brands in 2022 was better pricing.
Additionally, consumers did a lot more research before making a purchase. While online traffic volume grew, online sales and online order volume continued to decline. Why? Consumers went comparison shopping online.
In Q1, global online traffic rose by 6% from a year earlier. That marks five straight quarters of traffic growth despite five consecutive quarters of declining online order volume. When they do buy online, shopping carts are smaller: The number of units sold per transaction decreased by 6% worldwide.
This means every visit to a brand or retail website is becoming less profitable, looking at total online sales divided by total visits. As such, retailers need to develop marketing strategies that utilise intelligent audience segmentation, personalisation and messaging.
Consumer loyalty is improving
The good news is that existing customers are more willing to stick with their preferred brands and retailers if the price is right. The share of online orders coming from repeat buyers in the first quarter rose by 3% over the first quarter of 2022 and 16% over the same time period in 2021. To capitalise on this, leading retailers are pivoting to rewarding loyal customers rather than battling to find new ones.
Salesforce research shows experiences are just as important to consumers as products that retailers sell.
Retailers can start by understanding their loyal shoppers, activating customer data to build personalised experiences, and delivering a frictionless, high-value shopping journey.
Customer service the weakest link
Building loyalty doesn’t end after the sale is complete. The most critical moment in determining long-term customer loyalty is when consumers reach out to your customer service centres.
Salesforce retail data research shows 80% of consumers will switch brands after three bad experiences. Consumers want quick, friendly, and consistent responses, and, more than ever, they are choosing digital engagement like live chat services to get the job done.
Personalised experiences drive customer retention
A sound retail business strategy should mix productivity and efficiency with retention and growth strategies. However, in a time of economic uncertainty, changing internet algorithms, and rapidly evolving consumer behaviours, going back to what you know is critical.
Focus on strategies and programmes that surprise and delight customers, offer added value and more bang for their buck. This is how the European markets are turning things around, and it’s a good bet that it will work in the South African market too, notes Salesforce.
Wrapping Up:
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.
South Africa’s escalating energy crisis shows no signs of abating with the implementation of Stage 6 load shedding plummeting many parts of the country into darkness last week.
As the backbone of the country’s economy, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been worst affected by load shedding. Many are just recovering from the pandemic and are now being faced with the devastating effects of having no power for between eight and twelve hours a day.
The government has just announced it is stepping in to take the pressure off SMEs and has instructed the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) to collaborate with various stakeholders and find a solution via an energy relief package. While these talks are ongoing, Eskom announced the devastating news that South Africa will be placed on permanent Stage 2 or 3 load shedding for the next two years.
In response to Eskom’s latest announcement, small businesses have appealed to the government to consider implementing subsidies on diesel, diesel-powered generators or other alternative energy solutions to help them cope with load-shedding, as many will not be able to survive another two years of constant power cuts.
“The details of the Seda and Sefa-driven packages and how SMEs can claim are not yet available, but relief efforts like this are vital if our SMEs are going to survive the indefinite energy crisis,” says Miguel Da Silva, managing director at Retail Capital.
“We applaud the government for stepping in and hope that the relief package will go some way towards creating alternative sources of energy, recovering some losses, and subsidising existing energy solutions. In the meantime, we encourage SMEs to act now and invest in alternatives if they have the finances available,” he adds.
There are a number of things that small business owners can do to help mitigate the effects of these power outages – the key is to act fast.
Da Silva suggests four ways every SME can and should be dealing with the energy crisis today:
1. Find affordable alternatives
Not all alternative energy solutions are expensive, so do your research and find out which solutions will best suit your business. A small generator or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for example can cost as little as R900 and can be purchased from high street hardware stores or online.
“They’re not a 24-hour solution but, at the very least, these will provide you with an interim source of power until the lights come back on,” says Da Silva.
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
Battery packs and power banks are also cost-effective options that will help keep your electrical items, Wi-Fi and Pos devices running. “Using battery and power banks can be a juggling act though and you need to remember to keep these charged when the power is back on,” says Da Silva.
Investigating gas cooking solutions is another effective way of maintaining business as usual – or as close to it – for restaurants and other hospitality businesses. “Gas alternatives do require professional installation so make sure you factor in the cost of having it installed by a gas safety engineer who can provide you with the right safety certificates,” advises Da Silva.
2. Get funding to go off-grid
For most SMEs and individuals, ordinary savings won’t even cover the costs of getting off the Eskom grid. If your business premises are mortgaged with certain banks, then you may be able to take further financing from the bank to pay for these alternative energy solutions.
Several banks have partnered with renewable/backup energy providers to provide discounts to their customers. Some may also offer improvement loans for business premises, and this could go some way towards financing an alternative source of energy, like solar.
3. Change the way you work
If an off-grid solution is not financially viable for your SME, then consider investing in a hot desk at a shared office space that’s equipped with a generator.
“The costs can be quite high depending on your location and amount of people working for you, but this could be a worthwhile cost to bear if it means your business won’t be interrupted by outages and ensuring you are still profitable. Smaller teams are also more flexible so consider working schedules that can adapt around load shedding hours,” says Da Silva.f
4. Manage any price fluctuations
“If you are considering the expensive off-grid option, you may need to make realistic price hikes on your goods and services so that you keep yourself in business. However, it is wise to manage any price fluctuations carefully and to be completely transparent with your clients from the get-go. Building in added value for your clients can go a long way towards offsetting any resistance to this,” he advises.
Wrapping up
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.
As a small business owner, you’ve probably thought to yourself at least once, “How the heck can I compete with Amazon?”
And for good reason. If you’re an online retailer, or even if you own physical stores serving a niche, there’s a decent chance that Amazon has a chunk of your market share.
The brainchild of Jeff Bezos has its fingers in many pies. However, Amazon isn’t completely untouchable. Plenty of businesses are direct Amazon competitors in some way and still enjoy huge profits.
This guide will look at 10 of Amazon’s top competitors in various areas, explaining what exactly makes them successful. Then we’ll take those lessons and look at how you, as a small business, can also compete with the online retail giant.
Top 10 Amazon competitors
This Amazon competitors’ analysis has a healthy mix of online-only business models and offline/online offerings. Each of them has unique advantages that position them as Amazon competitors for online sales.
Online stores
eBay
Walmart
Flipkart
Target
Alibaba Group
Otto
JD
Netflix
Rakuten
Online stores
Let’s start with an obvious group of competitors: online store owners (a.k.a. you). Ecommerce has taken off over the past few years, taking up 20% of total retail sales in the United States alone. Although Amazon is the largest consumer marketplace in the US, small business owners have one massive benefit: they remain nimble and unique.
Online stores that sell unique, can’t-get-anywhere-else products will always have an edge over the mass-produced goods you find on Amazon. Take TREEHOUSE kid & craft, for example.
The Georgia-based small business has a unique advantage over massive online selling sites like Amazon. It specializes in high-quality kids’ toys, art, and books, stocking “unique, kindly-made products from around the world.”
Rhiannon Taylor, founder of online boutique RT1home, suggests ecommerce entrepreneurs “design and manufacture your own products which Amazon cannot carry. If that’s not an option, do your research and only offer a unique product that’s not available on Amazon.”
Sure, you probably can’t compete with Amazon on price or shipping times. In terms of scale, size, and logistics, the ecommerce platform Amazon is nearly limitless. But you can outpace Amazon when it comes to unique products and personalized shopping experiences that keeps customers happy and coming back for more.
eBay
Another massive ecommerce platform that directly competes with Amazon is eBay. The online marketplace company, based in San Jose, California, was founded in 1995.
eBay’s revenue has steadily fallen in recent years but in 2022 it still totalled a whopping $9.89 billion.
With eBay, sellers list products for sale and buyers find them in the marketplace. EBay sellers also offer products similar to those offered by sellers on Amazon. The big difference? EBay sellers can auction products or have a fixed rate. Amazon doesn’t offer auction sales.
Being essentially a big garage sale versus a general online marketplace gives eBay a unique position over Amazon.
Walmart
Moving closer to the discount department store concept, another great example of an Amazon competitor is Walmart. One of the oldest companies on this list, it was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas.
Amazon and Walmart are two of the biggest retailers in the US and are always in competition. Walmart dominates the physical space, but Amazon leads online. Although Walmart has been around for 30 years longer, the two fight for the same customers now. The brands compete on everything from innovation to digital growth, logistics, and sustainability.
Walmart saw a revenue of $573 billion in 2022, actually surpassing Amazon, which generated $502 billion in revenue.
Flipkart
If you live in a western country, you may have the idea that Amazon has a massive presence everywhere, but that’s not the case. Flipkart was founded in 2007 and is one of India’s leading online ecommerce sites. Walmart became its majority owner back in 2018.
Flipkart’s business model is very similar to Amazon’s, with the exception of the Flipkart Plus SuperCoins reward scheme, which, unlike Amazon Prime, is earned, rather than paid for.
Flipkart’s revenue has been growing, with a reported 12% increase in 2021 from the previous year. As the Indian ecommerce market continues to strengthen, Flipkart is one of Amazon’s biggest competitors in the region.
Target
Another company with a long history is Target, founded the same year as Walmart, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Target describes itself as a “general merchandise retailer” and boasts that 75% of the US population lives within 10 miles of a Target retail store. Target reported $108 billion in revenue in 2022, with an overall compared sales growth rate of 12.7% compared to the previous year.
Target cannot compete with Walmart and Amazon—it’s not large enough. But what Target has that other retailers don’t is a loyal following. Target has become an incredibly convenient place to shop, and is even considered an acceptable date night by its customers.
Target joined the ranks of ecommerce companies by offering same-day delivery, order pickup, and drive-up pickup. With an increased focus on online sales, Target continues to slice away at Amazon’s overall market share.
Alibaba Group
While we consider Amazon a behemoth in the US, in China there is the Alibaba Group. Founded in 1999 by Jack Ma (who has seen controversy for comments against the Chinese regulatory system and has since relieved control of the Ant Group), its main retail subsidiaries are AliExpress, Taobao, and Tmall.
Each subsidiary competes against Amazon in different ways. Taobao, a B2C (business to consumer) operation, for example, competes with Amazon on selling clothes, accessories, gadgets, and computer hardware at low prices.
Alibaba is one of the biggest competitors to Amazon Web Services, with cloud computing bringing in a revenue of $11.7 billion in 2022.
Collectively, the Alibaba Group saw revenue of approximately $134 billion in 2021 and $131 billion in revenue for 12 months ending September 30, 2022. There’s a reason the Alibaba Group continues to be the top Chinese ecommerce business.
Otto
Otto, one of Europe’s biggest ecommerce companies, was founded in 1949 in Hamburg, Germany. As the oldest company on this list, its products were originally ordered by mail and then telephone before the company moved into online shopping in 1995.
While it is considered a one-stop shop for electronics (like Apple and Microsoft), fashion, and sports gear, its biggest market (particularly in Germany) is in furniture and home furnishings.
In the 2021/2022 financial year, the Otto Group generated revenue of approximately €16.1 billion.
JD
The next competitor on our list is JD (JingDong), also known by its URL, JD.com. It’s another Chinese ecommerce sales website, founded in Beijing in 1998.
Beyond being a competitor to Amazon, it’s also a direct competitor of the above-mentioned Tmall, both being Chinese B2C ecommerce companies).
What makes JD a little different from Amazon is the ability to buy items in bulk (similar to Costco), as well as its dominating logistics infrastructure in China.
As a result, JD.com enjoyed $34.2 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2022.
Netflix
Taking a step away from physical products, we turn to Netflix, the biggest competitor of Amazon Prime Video. The video-on-demand service, started in 1997 when founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph mailed themselves a DVD in Scotts Valley, California, is widely considered one of the most popular subscription services in the world.
Since then, the company has seen continued overall growth, culminating in $8 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2022. Popular among its nearly 208 million subscribers is its original content, which it pumps out at an average rate of just over one original title a day.
While many rising competitors in the video streaming space have cut into its US market share, it still retains a hefty 20%.
Rakuten
Moving back into the ecommerce space, another big player is top Japanese ecommerce company Rakuten, founded in 1997 in Tokyo.
However, to call Rakuten just an ecommerce company would be a mistake—its ecosystem includes a streaming service (Rakuten TV), banking and payments services, telecoms, even health and life insurance, making it one of the most diverse ecommerce competitors on the list.
Rakuten has a significantly different business model in terms of its retail strategy. It uses a cash-back system to encourage customers to do their shopping through Rakuten instead of directly with brands.
This model (as well as its enterprising ecosystem) has earned Rakuten double-digit growth, up 13.5% year-over-year (YoY), coming to a total of 456.5 billion yen for the second quarter of 2022.
How small businesses can compete with Amazon
Now you understand which big companies compete with Amazon and how their advantages make them stand out. Next, let’s take a look at how small businesses can take on the giants without being billion-dollar multinationals or slashing their prices.
Provide an incredible customer experience
One of the biggest advantages you have as a small business is getting to know your customers as people, not just as order reference numbers.
Some easy ways to create good customer experiences are:
Write handwritten thank-you notes with their orders
Talk to them directly and ask for their feedback
Send relevant personalized emails
Solve customer complaints promptly with meaningful resolutions
Go omnichannel
This point applies to both physical and digital-only stores. When acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones, having an omnichannel experience is essential for gaining an edge over the competition.
Our research shows that 73% of shoppers use multiple channels before making a purchase. Retailers who sell across multiple channels (marketplaces, mobile, social media, and physical locations) increase revenue by 190%, on average.
Omnichannel retail doesn’t need you to be everywhere—just everywhere your customers are. It involves integrating each touchpoint to offer customers exactly what they need, when they need it, on any device.
Not only that, but they say that having an omnichannel strategy has the following benefits:
Improves customer lifetime value
Reaches new customer segments
Increases operational efficiency
Increases sales
Improves inventory turnover
Advertise on online marketplaces
Amazon isn’t the only marketplace on the web where you can advertise, or even host, your products. You can use other existing marketplaces that customers are already familiar with and trust (just bear in mind that using them will come at a cost).
These are some of the more popular ones, but you should also consider looking for a marketplace specific to your niche:
Etsy, for DIY goods
eBay, for just about anything
Bonanza, for unique items
Not On The High Street for UK businesses
You might have even noticed in recent years the rise of shopping capabilities on social media, such as Facebook Shops and shopping on Instagram.
If you’re not hot on the idea of setting up your own store (which can sometimes come with significant overheads), any of these options can be a great choice and come with their own built-in audiences.
Create a great loyalty program
Another way to compete against Amazon is to have a super easy loyalty program. According to research from Accenture, members of loyalty programs generate up to 18% more revenue for retailers than non-members.
Depending on the type of business you run, you can consider a variety of different loyalty program types, including points-based, tiered, paid (think “plus” or “premium” members), spending-based, gamified programs, or even value-based programs (tree-planting programs for example).
Companies like Smile can help you create a loyalty program for free, with pro plans available for further customization. If you have a Shopify store, you can add the Smile app to your shop and create a loyalty program easily.
Be an active community presence
The final tip for this post is perhaps the biggest advantage a small business has over huge multinationals: the ability to be an active local community presence.
Small business owners have a better understanding of the needs of their community, and what better way to inspire than getting involved in improving it or otherwise spreading a positive message?
Some ways you can get involved include:
Hosting events for the first time related to your business (or for charity)
Participating in or sponsoring existing events
Have a volunteering program or incentive for employees
Donate to local causes (as one-offs or pledge a portion of your profits)
Join any community boards or organizations your business could help with (such as arts or music councils, health boards, etc.)
What’s the best way to compete with Amazon?
It’s clear that Amazon is unstoppable in many areas—sellers on the marketplace can make and sell their own products or leverage new tools like Amazon dropshipping. New ecommerce brands and online stores may be intimidated by the behemoth at first, but the truth is, there are many ways you can compete with Amazon and build a rewarding online business.
Get to know your customers and what they value. Create unique products. And always provide the best customer service possible. While following these three strategies won’t make you the next Jeff Bezos, you’ll never have to worry about Amazon’s market share getting in your way.
Amazon competitors FAQ
What is the Amazon Marketplace?
Amazon Marketplace is an ecommerce platform that third-party sellers can use to list their products on the Amazon website. Although it is very integrated into the Amazon.com experience for shoppers, instead of all the profits going to Amazon, the bigger portion goes to the seller. Sellers can list new and used products on the Marketplace.
Who is Amazon’s biggest competitor?
For retail: Alibaba, Target, eBay, Walmart, JD, Flipkart, and Rakuten
For streaming services: Netflix, AppleTV, Disney+, Hulu
For cloud or web services: Alibaba Cloud, Microsoft Azure
Who are Amazon’s indirect competitors?
Indirect competitors are those who are big players in the industry but servicing a different part of the market. Some examples include:
Google
Apple
Shopify
Who are Amazon’s competitors in the US?
In terms of e-retailers, according to Statista, in 2022 Amazon’s biggest competitors by market share are Walmart (6.3%), eBay (4.7%), Apple (3.9%), Target (2.1%), and The Home Depot (2.1%), while Amazon led by 38.7%.
Wrapping up
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.
Currently, 70 percent of U.S. households own a pet, up from 67 percent in 2019. With more and more people willing to own a pet, a wave of high-tech pet products is revolutionizing the market. Every entrepreneur and wholesaler in this domain should pick the pace and stock up the smart pet products to capitalize as much as possible.
The lucrative pet products industry
Every owner shares a unique bond with their furry friend. Besides this, the growing animal healthcare awareness has increased the demand for animal supplies. The recent introduction of smart pet products has taken pet care to a new level. They provide added safety, convenience, and peace of mind to pet owners.
According to Global Market Insights, the pet tech market size surpassed USD 5 billion in 2021. It is now set to grow at a CAGR of about 20 percent from 2022 to 2028. Also, the global industry shipments will exceed 130 million units by 2028. The markets are stocked with several smart pet tech products such as collars, feeders, harnesses, and cameras. This article highlights the most profitable smart pet products that pet companies should stock.
Four pets products that attract most pet owners
Automatic feeder and food dispenser
All pets live busy lives. From chasing their tails to going for cat naps, there is one thing they never forget – asking for food!
Likewise, some pet owners have a hyperactive social and work life that disables them from catering to their pets well. This is where an automatic pet feeder and food dispenser come in handy. They serve consistent food portions at regular intervals and give pet parents the liberty to go away for a night or a weekend without worrying about their fur friend starving alone at home.
An attached mic and speaker in some food dispensers enable pet owners to interact with their fur kids and comfort them remotely. In addition to keeping the pets well-fed, some feeders offer options like a laser dot chasing game and food bowls to keep the dog and cat stuff.
A product that lets pet owners get rid of the guilt and gives them the liberty to stay outdoors stress-free is an ideal pet product to invest in. Always prefer the ones with enhanced features and easy functionality.
Smart cat litter box
Scooping litter has always been a gruesome task for pet owners. To their ease, a variety of smart cat litter boxes are now available in the market.
An ideal pet product in this domain will dispose of the litter and work with a self-cleaning mechanism. The efficiency of scooping relies on the quality of the smart litter box. Keeping a range of options is a good business decision as people might be looking for various price options.
A clean litter box lets little felines feel safe and comfortable. Perhaps this is why the best pet product brands have focused on cleanliness more than anything. Some pets and owners are finicky regarding pet products like dirty litter boxes or even pet leashes. Products with an odor-controlling feature are an excellent option for users who wish to minimize their trips to the trash cans. Some litter boxes are designed to be used with washable granules that rarely need replacement. Also, a few cat waste boxes have an odor-neutralizing and simple clean-up system that can go as long as a month without changing.
Stainless steel pet water dispenser
A well-hydrated pet tends to stay happy and healthy. The water dispensers are an incredible option for all pet owners who wish to keep an eye on their little munchkin’s water intake. A stainless steel water dispenser often contains features that improve water quality and clean up the ions. Some dispensers will automatically turn the power-off protection when the water is short in the tank. Also, most of these fountains contain a filter to provide clean water to the felines.
Many customers prefer food-grade quality when searching for such pet products, but not everyone has the luxury of visiting the Nashville Pet Products Center frequently. Offering these pet products online will be a sound move by wholesalers and pet product retailers. Ideally, these water dispensers should be easy to clean and assemble. Ensure that the dispensers enable users to control the speed and volume of water.
Intelligent LED pointer toy
Cats need mental stimulation to thrive. Without it, they will likely become bored, anxious, and lazy. Eventually, these emotional imbalances compel cats to find other ways to occupy themselves. This translates into destructive behaviors like inappropriate digging, chewing, or urination.
An indoor LED pointer toy could be a sound purchase for cat owners. An exciting light beam moves randomly on the floor, targeting the cats’ natural hunting instinct. This provides cats with a wonderful activity indoors and keeps them proactive. Some toys have a silent motor for changing the light direction. This prevents discomfort for the fur babies and keeps them occupied in the game.
At the same time, some pet products let the pets exercise at a fast pace. For instance, there is a faster light movement that the pets try to catch. This lets them blow off some steam and reignite their strength. On the contrary, snoozer pet products provide a cozy sitting for the pets to rest and restore their energies after an intense game. Many pet owners prefer buying toys and snoozer products simultaneously to ensure their fur kids have all it takes for good growth and simulation.
What is next in pet tech products?
The smart pet products industry is steadily moving towards maturity. This means that entrepreneurs and wholesalers should keep an eye on what is coming in the future. Some highly anticipated trends are:
Facial recognition controls for electronic feeders and pet doors
Audio-based devices
Advanced solution for dog and cat litter
Smart wearables to monitor pets’ health
Personalized diets and foods
Ancestral database of pets
Considering the pace at which smart pet products are growing, there will be many innovations to make lives easier for pet owners. It is integral for suppliers to stock the recent products to ensure their sustainable presence in the market. Staying in the learning loop is necessary to ensure a viable market reputation and fulfill prospects’ needs.
Pet owners are always looking for ways to enhance the comfort of their little buddies. When they find smart pet products to secure their munchkins, they cannot resist the temptation to buy. Pet product suppliers need to maintain an updated product list. When buyers and sellers are on the right page, it is a win-win for all. Over time, they can also conduct surveys and market evaluations to understand what helps them maintain their market relevance.
Wrapping up
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences.
We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.
Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses!
If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us: blog.shopshipshake.com
Shopify is the fastest growing and most innovative eCommerce platform in the world. Now with over 1 million stores worldwide in 2022 you can be sure you’re in good company when using Shopify. Think of Shopify as the BMW or Audi of eCommerce platforms, it’s not cheap but it’s reliable and powerful. While some will question the customisability of Shopify it truly has the majority of what you need to out of the box. Compared to open source platforms like Magento, WooCommerce and Prestashop you have the benefit of being supported by a platform that guarantees your site to work. Shopify has become popular enough in South Africa that there’s plenty of agencies and freelancers to support. Local payment and shipping providers have also created enough integrations to ensure your well looked after. Today we’re going to walk you through getting started with Shopify in South Africa.
Sign Up
Shopify makes signing up easy and risk free. You can get started without committing to a subscription or entering any card details. To sign up simply click the button below and get started. Use our video walkthrough to see how easy signing up is.
Choosing a Plan
As mentioned Shopify offers a free trial for 14 days before you will need to pick a plan. If you are just starting it’s likely the entry level Shopify Basic plan is going to be your best choice at $29 a month (R480). View the breakdown of the 3 plans you can choose from here. We’ve also created this handy calculator that helps you understand the long term costs of using Shopify and at which point it will make sense to switch to the $79 or $299 plan. The major considerations for moving to these plans are the lower payment fees that Shopify charges on top of the fees you will pay your payment provider.
Select a Theme
Think of themes as a style and template for your pages and products. Bundled into a theme are specific layouts for your homepage and other pages. Themes also often have functionality in them such as filters or search. Premium themes often bundle even more features in them that you might otherwise need to accomplish by buying apps eg: product reviews, enhanced filters, expandable menus. While choosing a theme is a big decision it’s something you can always revisit later. Your products, pages, content and blogs will remain as is should you decide to switch themes at a later time.
Shopify offers a ton of high caliber themes for free, choosing what theme to use can be tricky when you are getting started. Some themes cater for specific types of businesses or businesses looking for specific features. To help you choose we’ll share the most popular themes in South Africa below. You can also use our Store Navigator to see what other stores in South Africa are using.
Store Navigator was designed to help you see real life examples of themes you might consider using. When you head over to the Store Navigator filter as much as you like to narrow down your selection. Keep in mind that even if you choose the same theme as any store there’s still ways to make your site look and feel very different from others. Everything from colours, fonts and layouts are easily changed from the editor (more on that later). Should you be feeling adventurous you can also make changes to the code of your site and theme. Shopify backups your code and settings so tinkering is fully reversible.
Debut will come pre-installed on your Shopify site. You can browse other free themes by selecting ‘Explore Free Themes’. To try them out you can simply install them. To make changes to the theme you simply click on Customize under ‘Current theme’.
While Shopify’s default settings cover a lot of bases there are some things to add and change to make the most of your shiny new store!
We’ll take you through it step-by-step. Start by clicking the Settings button at the bottom left of your dashboard.
General Settings
Here you will edit your store name, email and store address. If you’ve changed your store since signing up, feel free to update it now.
The Account email is the email Shopify will send you notifications through. The Customer email is the one customers will email you through.
Enter the Legal name of your business if you have one, and edit your address if needed.
Next is the Standards and formats section, this is where you will set your timezone and information like weight units. The settings should be preset to the metric system, SAST and ZAR. With Shopify you can only have one currency per store so if you intend to sell in a currency other than ZAR this is where you’ll change it. Make sure to click save after making changes to your settings.
Checkout Settings
Under checkout settings, switch Customer accounts to “optional,” and customers can create an account but aren’t required to unless you want to require customers to create accounts, generally this is not advised.
View the remaining settings on the page and ensure they’re set to your preferences. If you’ve set up Google Analytics or a Facebook pixel, add your custom conversion code in the Additional scripts box. When you’re done, click Save.
Shipping Settings
This section will require you to have made some decisions about how you are handling shipping. 1. Are you shipping in your province only, nationally in South Africa and Internationally. For each of those do you want to charge different prices or standardise pricing?
If you’re dropshipping: you can use “Price based rates.” Someone with a R150 order can pay one rate, and someone with a R300 order can pay a different shipping rate.
Tip: Regardless of how you ship, you can offer free shipping. You build shipping into your pricing and set rules for minimum order. This is likely to increase conversions and average order value.
For local delivery and local pickup add your address. Shopify has more recently enabled the ability for you to indicate which location your products are based. If you are just getting started this is likely not relevant but down the line who knows maybe you’ll have products in different warehouses or locations.
Plans and Permissions Settings
Shopify allows you to enable different users with access to various functions within the platform. Depending on the plan you are on you will have access to various levels of staff accounts. To add a staff member click ‘Add staff account’.
Legal Settings
Legal settings are not to be overlooked without setting this up correctly, you could be operating illegally. Every online store needs a Refund Policy, a Privacy Policy, and a Terms of Service (ToS) Agreement.
Fortunately, Shopify can generate one for you based on your settings. Again, remember we are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. Once your store starts generating revenue, I recommend having an attorney review these documents for you.
Simply click the three Create from template buttons under each section.
Next, create pages for each document. Right-click Online Store and open it in a new tab (so it’s easy to copy and paste from the Legal settings page).
Title the first page “Refund Policy”. Go back to your legal settings tab and copy the entire refund policy, then paste it in the new Refund Policy page in the other tab. Click Save. Repeat for your “Privacy Policy” page and “Terms of Service” page.
Preferences
This is the only primary setting that you will not find under the “Settings” page; instead, go to Online Store > Preferences.
First, make sure you edit your store’s meta title and description this is the text that will appears in search engines.
Domains
All stores are automatically assigned a .myshopify domain. To setup a custom domain you can purchase a domain from any provider that allows you to make changes to the domain name server [DNS] settings. You can buy domains directly from Shopify or you can buy a local .co.za domain from GoDaddy for R80. Shopify makes it really easy to connect your GoDaddy domain to your Shopify store.
If you are torn between using a .com or .org domain vs a .co.za or .africa domain the simplest way to think about this is whether you have plans to focus on South Africa or an international audience. If you have international aspirations for your store then consider going with .com if your focused only on South Africa go with .co.za.
4. Payments
In South Africa you will need to choose between selling in ZAR or USD.
To select a payment provider go to settings >> select Payments. You’ll be selecting from third-party payment providers. Here’s your options in South Africa for primary payment providers. You can compare different plans to choose the one that is suitable for you.
Once you’ve setup your account with one of the providers above you’ll copy your public and secret API keys from your payment provider and copy them into your payment settings in Shopify.
5. Adding Products
Time for the fun part, let’s add products to your store. To get started click Products and Add Product.
Title and Description Enter your product title and description.
Images Make sure your images are high quality, bad images will lead to less sales.
Product type This is the type of product or category you sell. Product types are one of the ways to create product collections, more on that later.
Vendors If you have different people selling on your store or want to list seperate brands then consider using Vendors. Otherwise you can leave this blank.
Collections These are groupings of products that enable you to display products together. You can create collections like Newly Added or Featured to easily create pages with products that you’ve added to a collection.
Tags To organise and group products you can use as many tags as you like. These tags can then be used by your customers to find specific products.
Pricing Your Price is the price customers will pay. Your Compare at price will be shown crossed out next to your actual price to use for price anchoring.
Inventory Your inventory settings help with keeping track of inventory (shocking, I know!). You can create a custom SKU for your products if you want. Otherwise, you can leave these settings alone.
Variants This is where you add variations of your products such as size or color. Eg if you’re selling clothes, you can add size (S, M, L) or color.
6. Creating Pages
You can create pages by selecting Online Store and then Pages. Here’s a few pages you should consider creating:
A Contact Us page An About Us page A Shipping Policy page
Make sure to have a look at the pre-made templates in the drop-down menu under Templates to make this process easier.
7. Top Apps
Shopify has several thousand apps to choose from many of which are either free or have free trials. Keep an eye on our blog for more information on apps and services. Below are the most popular apps used by Shopify stores in South Africa.
8. Shipping
South Africa has come a very long way in terms of shipping costs and solutions for eCommerce retailers. We are not going to touch on couriers themselves in this post but below are apps that make it easier for you to create waybills and automate shipping in South Africa with multiple couriers.
9. Selecting Suppliers
Comparing different competitive suppliers in the market and choose a most valuable one is always important when considering product category\ product quality\ the wholesale cost. A good supplier will definitely help you grow your online store compared to your competitors.
Wrapping up
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 South african clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.
If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us: blog.shopshipshake.com
E-commerce sales are down, a lot, while shopping behaviors continue to shift. Experts explain how the space will evolve further this coming year.
Inflation will compel consumers to research more and spend less, according to experts / Adobe Stock
The Covid-19 pandemic saw e-commerce growth spike, big time, but myriad issues have since created a historic drop in digital sales.
Obviously, consumers have been returning to brick-and-mortar stores – albeit not at the pre-pandemic levels. But there are other significant factors at play, including supply chain issues, low consumer sentiment and rising inflation.
The end result? A forecasted $95bn less in e-commerce sales in 2022 compared with last year, according to the Economic Times. This is after e-commerce soared at least 20% every year between 2010 and 2020, per eMarketer.
So, what’s next? Experts have identified three trends that will shape the landscape over the next year.
1. E-commerce and in-store shopping will have divergent roles in consumers’ lives
Yes, many shoppers around the world were eager to leave the house and return to the stores, but their behaviors have changed. Online and in-store shopping have come to serve distinct purposes for shoppers and that trend will only continue.
“Globally, we continue to see in-store shopping occur with consumers,” says Jacquelyn Baker, chief commerce experience officer at VMLY&R Commerce. “However, the role of the store has changed for shoppers. Consumers can have whatever they want, when they want, on-demand, digitally. For purchases beyond everyday essentials, meanwhile, the store serves more as a showroom for inspiration and ‘retailtainment’. Physical stores play a tactile purpose for consumers to immerse themselves in brands and experiences that ignite the senses and bring joy.”
While stores can offer their own speed and convenience, they are often relied upon for surprise, says Piers Fawkes, founder and president of the retail consultancy PSFK.
“Online has become a place of specificity and efficiency and real-world retail, discovery and delight. As a result, shoppers expect e-retailers to provide a sophisticated, personalized shopping experience. In contrast, personalization is not as big a deal offline. People already understand a store’s offerings and they go there for surprise and serendipity.”
2. Inflation will make consumers research more and spend less
Inflation is on the rise globally. In the US, for example, the Labor Department reported that inflation rose 8.3% since last August, which was worse than economic forecasts. This has already impacted overall consumer sentiment and most likely will affect their spending habits in the future. “Inflation concerns are very real,” adds Baker. “Currency has to stretch much further than it used to and that will continue into the next two years.”
The direct result will be a greater emphasis on researching everything in order to make an informed decision. “Brands that emphasize their marketing investments on searchable content that demonstrates consumer value will prevail,” says Baker.
At the same time, stores will benefit as they become hypersensitive to the added expense of digital fulfillment – such as rising shipping costs and delivery fees, says Baker. “The ancillary expenses of convenience will become cost prohibitive to some consumers or will be deemed unnecessary to others as they work to stretch their money further.”
Overall, brands and marketers should pull all the data they can from 2008-2010, advises William Margaritis, senior vice-president of digital and e-commerce at Reprise Digital. “What did consumers do then? How did they react? How did your brand react? What worked? What didn’t?
“What we are about to see will be similar. Large purchases will be put on hold while small luxuries will be seen as economic ways to splurge. 2008 was fantastic for drugstore cosmetics brands, upscale snacks and any other daily luxury that won’t break the bank. 2023 will likely repeat that.”
3. Live and social shopping becomes a bigger part of the mix
Still, the momentum for online purchases is unstoppable. However, the way consumers buy digitally will continue to evolve, quickly. For example, livestream shopping is picking up speed.
“Social shopping is becoming more prevalent and can be done on various platforms – such as Amazon Live, TikTok Shop/Live, Instagram Live and Twitch – and also on a brand’s own website,” says Travis Johnson, global chief executive officer of Podean.
“Brands should think about what their approach is – do they have spokespeople?Do they have great locations to stream from? What products would they sell? How would they use the content after the stream has ended?”
This trend represents a shift in control for brands. “Younger generations find authenticity and trust in different places than older generations,” says Margaritis. “Predominantly, they trust their peers and they trust influencers. As brands reduce spend and are less present in the shopping conversation, peers and influencers will rise…
“Social commerce and live commerce have already become regular means of shopping in Asia and are rising rapidly in Latin America. The US and Europe won’t be far behind.”
Wrapping up
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.
If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us: www.shopshipshake.co.za
Where is digital marketing headed in 2022? Here are ten trends from a panel of digital marketing experts:
1. Trend: Email Most Important Channel.
Melissa Sargeant, CMO of Litmus, believes three trends have contributed to the prioritization of email: personalization, automation, and privacy. She anticipates tactics like dynamic and interactive email content, AMP for email, and new personalization strategies to rise in importance in 2022. “Litmus recently released a State of Email report showcasing that email has become marketing’s most important channel: 91% of survey respondents maintained email marketing is critical to the overall success of their company,” says Sargeant. “This is up 20 percentage points since 2019, and more than 40% of companies intend to increase their investment in 2022.”
2. Trend: Loyalty A Thing Of The Past.
“Loyalty programs will become a thing of the past and evolve into membership programs,” says Jay Myers of Bold Commerce. “People crave membership and community; it’s human nature. What’s not human nature is to crave being in a loyalty program. Marketers have caught onto this and though loyalty points can offer consumers value, they’re not compelling differentiators on their own. In 2022 brands will transform loyalty programs into true membership. And unlike loyalty programs that customers are hesitant to join, these membership programs will be so compelling that customers will pay to join. Brands will embrace the membership model and add value through benefits, like exclusive access to products, free shipping and offline events.”
3. Trend: Foresight The New Priority.
“Hindsight might be 20/20, but businesses will prioritize foresight in 2022,” says Rob Holland of Feedback Loop. “With increasingly direct access to consumers, brands will no longer wait until after the fact to get feedback on campaigns, products and brand names they’ve already launched to know what people think. And they’ll avoid a little controversy—and major financial setbacks—in the process. This is not to say that marketers won’t have bad ideas in 2022. That’s inevitable. But we’ll at least see more of them skip the part where they turn those bad ideas into catastrophic decisions for their brands.”
4. Trend: Discounts Losing Favor Fast.
“Brands have been eager to move away from a reliance on using steep discounts to acquire new customers and instead identify opportunities to offer value through their products and the role they play in customers’ lives,” says Sherene Hilal of Bluecore. “Digital has expanded how and which types of value brands can offer to customers. In 2022 brands will begin replacing blanket discounts that don’t keep shoppers around for long with unique offerings based directly on what they know about shoppers (i.e., they’ll buy based on free shipping), as well as on their own unique selling points (i.e., free personalization, in-store experiences).”
5. Trend: War On Data.
“The war on data will escalate and marketers will lose access to more data they have come to rely on,” says global marketing consultant Tim Parkin. “First-party data will become the foundation of all marketing initiatives. Many organizations, who have not prepared, will scramble to collect this data to stay competitive.”
6. Trend: Video To Be Cornerstone.
“Video will replace static assets and become the cornerstone of all marketing campaigns,” adds Parkin. “Social media and streaming TV platforms will introduce new advertising products that emphasize video. Even the retail experience will see new innovations in using video to engage customers and drive revenue.”
7. Trend: Great Escape From Digital White Noise.
“Instead of getting lost in the digital inbox, savvy businesses are being discovered in the mailbox,” says Jordan Stevens, a digital marketing consultant from Canada. “Initially, direct mail may be dismissed due to misconceptions about the channel. However, integrated campaigns give businesses the opportunity to reach millions of individuals on a more personal level than digital communications can provide alone. Overall, direct mail performance and engagement continue to climb. According to Canada Post, 92% of people surveyed read direct mail and 71% share it. While your audience is bombarded with digital messaging all day, direct mail breaks through in an authentic, unexpected, nostalgic and tangible way.”
8. Trend: Advertising Postcards Reach People Where They Live.
“Direct mail is a way of communicating with your consumers directly to their homes. It allows you to target your audience according to location and demographic profile,” adds Stevens. “During the last five years, we’ve seen an increase in advertisers using postcards to reach their audience, and we expect that trend to grow. Postcards are lightweight, visually appealing and stand out in the mailbox. As digital advertising expenses increase, whether you’re a real estate agent or kitchen renovator, postcards are a simple format that maximizes ROI.”
9. Trend: Digital Storytelling Separates Amateurs From Pros.
“There has been a large focus over the past year on digital storytelling,” says author and founder of 3 Dog Write, Lisa Apolinski. “But many companies are still struggling to get that right. Many companies are still making their stories about themselves versus how clients can find success with the help of the company’s products and services. Companies who can leverage persuasive storytelling will have their digital content create value and relatability and not just be content for content’s sake.”
10. Trend: Judgement Day For Facebook/Meta.
“We have all had times where we thought Facebook was destined for downfall,” adds Apolinski. “I would not count out Mark Zuckerberg for this new re-imagining of his brand. However, I think the overall success of Meta will be determined by whether Zuckerberg is willing to step out of running the company to allow new energy into the organization. If Zuckerberg continues to stay at the helm, the success of Meta will be diminished and not hit the same levels of success as Facebook. 2022 will be a pivot point for the company and many organizations are being more conservative with spending with Facebook as they wait to see how this new brand is received and what opportunities it brings.”
Wrapping up
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.
If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us: www.shopshipshake.co.za
If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M
E-commerce is the fastest growing segment of retail. eCommerce sales had been expected to grow from $305 billion in 2017 to $434 billion by 2021, according to Statista. But as more businesses rush to set up their own e-commerce store, selling directly to customers online rather than through a reselling intermediary such as an wholesaler or distributor, the market has become saturated with options. No matter what type of product you’re selling, it’s getting increasingly difficult to stand out. That’s why social media marketing is your secret weapon when it comes to increasing e-commerce sales. When combined with other tactics like search engine optimization and paid advertising, social media can help you attract new customers, keep old ones coming back for more and get them talking about your brand on their own social media channels.
1. Develop a Strong Content Marketing Strategy
While some companies may have success with a purely paid-advertising-based strategy, many more have found that investing in a strong content marketing strategy will bring them greater long-term rewards. For e-commerce businesses, that means creating compelling content that your target audience will want to read and share.
To that end, start by understanding your audience. Some e-commerce businesses will sell to different segments of customers and therefore require different marketing strategies. Others will sell to a common customer base. If your products fall under the latter category, you’ll want to make sure that your content is relevant to the daily lives of your audience members.
What do they spend their free time doing? What causes do they believe in? What do they wish the world could be like? How do they like to spend money? The more you know about the types of people who are likely to buy your product, the easier it will be to reach out to them and connect with them on a personal level.
2. Run Ads to Build Brand Awareness
If you’ve been in business long enough, you’ve seen your fair share of fads come and go. The internet, and e-commerce in particular, has brought us many trends — the latest of which is live video. As video marketing becomes a more essential part of the business landscape, live video is an increasingly popular marketing tool.
And while it can provide an excellent way to engage with your audience and drive sales, it can be tricky to determine when to go live — and how to do it effectively. Fortunately, live video can also be used as an advertising tool.
You can start a live broadcast, promote it through your other marketing channels and attract new viewers. That’s because most live video platforms will allow you to include advertisements in your broadcast.
3. Use Paid Advertising to Grow Your Audience
If your content marketing strategy has run its course and you’re looking to diversify your marketing efforts, you might consider paid advertising. Paid advertisements come in a variety of forms, including Google search ads and promoted posts on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
For e-commerce businesses, one of the most effective paid advertising methods is paid search. Paid search ads allow you to place your ad at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) when someone searches for a related keyword.
By bidding on popular keywords, you can ensure that your ad appears in front of a large audience. That, in turn, can lead to more clicks, more sales and more conversions.
4. Boost User Experience with SEO
When it comes to SEO, it’s important to remember that your focus is on improving user experience. That’s because the search engine ranking factor (SERF) known as user experience is the most important one. If you’re able to boost the user experience of your website, you’ll see an increase in your e-commerce sales.
That’s because improving the user experience also improves your website’s organic traffic. In fact, a study reported by Search Engine Journal found that a website’s organic traffic is the most significant factor in its ability to drive e-commerce sales.
That’s why e-commerce businesses that focus on improving the user experience can expect to see a significant increase in their organic traffic. Meanwhile, their competition will struggle to keep up with the rising tide.
5. Leverage Influencer Marketing
The word is out: Influencer marketing works. That’s why e-commerce businesses can take advantage of this proven marketing strategy to drive significant improvements in their sales and brand awareness. But how can e-commerce businesses leverage the power of influencers? There are a few ways.
You can reach out to established bloggers and ask them if they’d be willing to write about your product in exchange for a free sample. You can also try to connect with micro-influencers — people who have a large, but not necessarily a celebrity-level, audience.
You can pay an influencer to review or write about your product — though you may have to be willing to part with a significant portion of your marketing budget to make this happen.
There’s a huge opportunity for you to grow your business, provided you know how to reach your potential customers. To use social media to reach your potential customers, you’ll need to invest time and energy into creating the best possible content, focusing on the right channels for your business and then promoting your posts to maximize your impact.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to growing your e-commerce sales with the help of social media marketing.
Wrapping up
We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.
If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us: www.shopshipshake.co.za
If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M
