Takealot.com targets mobile with new site

·20 Aug 2014

Online retailer Takealot.com has redesigned its mobile site to make it easier to navigate on smartphones, as the group turns its attention to the growing mobile e-commerce market.

The group said that it redesigned the user interface to create an improved user experience, including improvements to site navigation and product listings, as well as the check out process.

The site’s Daily Deals now also feature on the mobile site.

“We focused on two key areas – the usability and speed of the site – and we believe the output of that is a mobile website that our customers will love,” said Takeaot.com co-CEO, Willem Van Biljon.

According to Takealot, the majority of South Africans who access the internet do so via a mobile phone.

A recent effective measure report pegged the market at 14 million smartphone users, with 81.6% of smartphone users accessing the internet via their smartphone device.

Takealot mobile

“Mobile represents a significant proportion of our visits today. The opportunity is to narrow the gap between mobile usage, which is ubiquitous among smartphone users, and the propensity to shop on mobile,” said Takealot’s other co-CEO, Kim Reid.

“We will achieve that by providing our mobile users with a beautiful, fast, and simple mobile experience, regardless of the device they use.”

Mobile e-tail boom imminent

The redesign follows a similar move by competitor, and South Africa’s current number one online retailer, Kalahari.com in June.

The e-retailer went full swing with a rebrand, acknowledging the growing trend of mobile sales in the country.

“The future of e-commerce in this country is in mobile. In many established markets, upwards of 40% of online purchases are made on mobile devices and we expect South Africa to follow this trend,” said Kalahari.com CEO, Caren Genthner-Kappesz.

“A mobile e-tail boom is imminent,” she said.

Reid said recently that Takealot aims to overtake Kalahari.com within the next 12 months.