We know you’re sick of reading it, but that should stand as testament to how big online shopping and ecommerce has become in South Africa over the last year.
Across the board we’ve seen ecommerce flourish because folks don’t want to run the risk of a COVID-19 infection. In a survey conducted in 2020, Nielsen found that 37 percent of South Africans had increased their online shopping activity while 68 percent reduced their visits to physical stores.
One of many companies benefitting from this surge in online shopping is Mobicred, which is now available in 3 000 online stores. Perhaps the most impressive figure, however, is the fact that Mobicred signed on 150 stores per month during the pandemic.
“For the first time we are seeing the more traditional brick and mortar stores taking online seriously,” says chief executive officer at Mobicred, Jason Sive. “We believe this is what it will take to really move the needle in terms of online penetration in the retail environment.”
Mobicred allows stores to offer customers credit which isn’t all that special but Mobicred allows a customer to spend at multiple stores after completing one application.
For customers this means not having to open new lines of credit when you need them but rather just using one port of call.
“Most people think of revolving credit as credit cards, and yes, credit cards are a form of revolving credit. But Mobicred is not linked to a bank account or any other card and therefore not vulnerable to card-based fraud. It is a stand-alone facility,” explains Sive.
“Obviously, certain bigger retailers offer their own cards or store credit, but global trends show consumer choice is a non-negotiable. As for the smaller guys, Mobicred offers them a way to integrate easily with a safe and secure payment option. And as concerns shoppers – if they’ve never heard of a store before, they can be confident that a brand that is integrated with Mobicred is a legitimate brand, and their service and return policies are of the required standard,” the CEO added.
Mobicred’s network of stores includes Dis-Chem, Takealot, Superbalist, Incredible Connection, Hifi Corporation, Flysafair, Clicks, Onedayonly, BidorBuy, iStore, Game, Netflorist, Loot, Sportsmans Warehouse and Travelstart.
You can also visit the Mobicred mall for a collection of deals from a mix of retailers.
[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]
