South Africa’s e-commerce sector has experienced 100% year-on-year growth since January 2020, giving local entrepreneurs an incredible opportunity to build strong, sustainable e-commerce businesses that cater to the needs and purchasing preferences of the country’s future consumers.

To support startups and scale-ups in the sector, ecommerce.co.za is launching the inaugural E-commerce Day on 10 March 2021.

Building the e-commerce brands of the future 

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have helped consumers become more familiar and comfortable with online shopping, which has given the industry a significant shot in the arm, but there is still a need amongst e-commerce businesses to understand how to improve their sales and marketing, reach customers, leverage networks and build better businesses geared for future growth.

“To give smaller e-commerce retailers the best chance of success, it’s vital that established stakeholders in the industry collaborate to provide them with the support they need to grow, as well as remove any unnecessary barriers to entry,” says Tom Stuart, chief marketing officer at Lulalend, and one of e-commerce Day’s partners.

E-commerce Day brings industry players together to offer exclusive masterclasses, webinars and special offers to online entrepreneurs. Topics will cover strategy, sales, marketing, customer experience and best practice, and offers will include funding opportunities, infrastructure discounts, marketing packages and mentorships.

“We’re backing this initiative because we understand just how important e-commerce is in South Africa, with many leveraging digital platforms and e-commerce tools to be able to continue trading and interacting with their customers online,” says Athena Turner, Xneelo’s brand manager.

“The benefits of e-commerce include lower startup costs and the ability to reach a wider market. It’s also possible to start your new venture as a side hustle, trying out your ideas before investing all your time and resources. But within all of this opportunity lies a skills gap, and because the industry is so new, we don’t have a cohesive community. E-commerce Day is the first step towards changing that.”

Addressing key challenges to drive growth 

“The challenges of the past year have meant that many businesses have pivoted towards online strategies. As a sector we need to support these businesses so that trust can be built within both the consumer and B2B space,” says Alastair Tempest, CEO of the E-commerce Forum South Africa.

E-commerce Day’s laser focus on the sector will not only create a network between large and smaller industry players, but also give local businesses the help they need to capitalise on the sector’s growth over the past 12 months.

“As an industry, we’ve experienced excellent gains but we now need to ensure that this momentum continues through 2021,” confirms Cheryl Ingram, the director of The Digital Media Collective. 

“A dedicated day that drives increased awareness for the channel supported by all parties across the industry can only be a positive thing.”

To view all the events, promotions and funding opportunities available on 10 March 2021, visit www.ecommerce.co.za/day.