Ecommerce key to businesses surviving Covid-19

DURBAN – While there is a lot of uncertainty around the economic impact of the novel coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak, one thing that is certain is that it will change the way we do business in the long-term. 

People are moving from offline shopping to online, and the habit is unlikely to disappear when the pandemic is over. Implementing ecommerce technology could be the key to retaining customers and leveraging changing consumer behaviour moving forward.

“Over the past few years, South Africans have come to rely on the convenience of online shopping; and now with the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s to be expected that the reliance on online shopping will be intensified. Self-isolation and consumer worry about public places means that local businesses are being forced to find quick and innovative ways to adapt to the current crisis,” said Jonathan Smit, Managing Director of PayFast.

The use of online payments and home delivery for day-to-day consumables have already been established as the new norm by companies such as Mr D Food and Pick n Pay. In response to Covid-19, these retailers have upped their game by implementing ‘no contact’ deliveries to minimise human-to-human contact and maximise sales opportunities. This is a useful model to follow for other South African businesses, who are grappling with ideas on how to best manage Covid-19.

Although it’s impossible to know exactly to what extent South African businesses will be impacted by Covid-19, it is likely that consumers who start making online purchases now during the outbreak will continue to do so going forward.

Source: iol.co.za