According to online retailer kalahari.com, mobile shopping is on the rise as local shoppers are opting to do their gift shopping via mobi services to avoid the holiday rush.   

kalahari.com launched its mobile platform in March of this year and recorded growth of 40% within the first month. Since then the mobile retail site has increased its visitor count by more than 200%.

Mobile internet a crucial commercial channel

According to the company over 70% of South Africa’s population own a mobile phone and mobile internet access is fast surpassing PC internet access, making mobile an avenue that cannot be ignored as an important commercial channel.

kalahari.com stated that the top selling categories on its mobi site this festive season are books, followed by DVD’s, then games and technology products. The company said that as shoppers become more comfortable with mobile commerce, it is likely that higher priced items including electronics will start to dominate sales, which is the case online.

“Based on the astounding uptake in our mobi services, Santa’s little helper this Christmas will be
mobile shopping platforms,” said Gary Novitzkas, CEO of kalahari.com.

The FNB Mobility Report released in February this year estimated that there are at least six million mobile internet browsers in South Africa. A recent Mobile Shopping Survey conducted by kalahari.com also showed that 51% of connected South Africans access the mobile internet every day and that these mobile browsers have the intent to transact. In fact 26% of respondents have already made a purchase, whilst a further 53% are considering it.

“Mobile shopping is still a small base of overall transaction volume but we expect it to overtake PC as the most sought after way to access the internet and transact in coming years. As an online retailer, this has resulted in another channel to market and therefore a slightly different sales platform,” Novitzkas explained.

“Our aim is to alleviate the stress of Christmas shopping by making it as convenient as possible to access online content wherever you are, an extensive range of over eight million products at the best prices. Shopping on the move allows shoppers to compare prices, research gift ideas, redeem electronic vouchers and watch for special deals all in the spirit of saving precious time and money,” he concluded.

kalahari.com tips to buy smartly via mobile this festive season:

• Product reviews – do your research and pull up the reviews of products before purchasing to avoid buyer’s remorse.
• Price comparisons – go in store with your mobile device and compare prices using kalahari.com. Consumers regularly find prices on kalahari.com exceptionally lower than those in store.
• Pre-order your gifts – be prepared and pre-order goods that have not even hit the shelves yet. This way you avoid disappointment and won’t miss out.
• Keep organised – consider an app to keep track of your receipts & one to keep your holiday shopping lists. This will ensure that your mobi purchases are organised and help to avoid overspending.
• Use retailers that have a dedicated mobile site as it’s quicker to search and locate what you’re looking for and the site is formatted to be read easily on a small screen.