In 2022, the sector witnessed a significant 30% increase in online sales, reaching over R50 billion and outperforming the overall retail growth of just 1.7%. Vibrantly and clearly, eCommerce continues to remain the highlight. From Cape Town to Johannesburg, customers are clicking their way to online shopping. It’s the order of the day!
GenZ is the greatest adopter of new payment methods, with 98% being tech-savvy. They’re significantly dependent on their smartphones for making online purchases, on a daily transactional basis. This comes as no surprise as smartphone users in South Africa exceed 22 million.
At the Peak
Propelled by ease, convenience and choice, this digital boom is still rising. As easy as it sounds to stand on the hill and enjoy the sccenery, it’s equally easy to fall down. It takes years to climb up, but moments to fall down for good.
eCommerce is a certainty. But equally certain, is nourishing the fundamental root of trust that enables it to exist. Trust fuels eCommerce and continues to be the silent bottleneck that retailers underestimate.
The future of eCommerce in South Africa will not support it's growth by a fancy website or irresistible prices, but will be defined by upholding promises – emotionally and literally.
Emotionally – by feeding customers with regular and realistic updates.
Literally – delivering what’s been promised.
Trust is the last mile. Or alternatively “Trust is the only mile”?
Real Losses During a Failed Delivery
Consider receiving a parcel much later than the designated date without any communication.
Imagine finding tracking updates difficult and unclear.
Imagine a failed delivery, and then a repeated failure, following another loop of unsuccessful delivery.
What is at stake?
A mere product? Or something more? What quietly sits at the edge of the hill is trust.
When a customer clicks “Buy”, it’s not a mere product that they buy into, but invest their trust. An incomplete lifecycle of a product isn’t just a failed delivery, but a step towards a broken relationship.
Second chances - forgiving or obscure?
While we’re all humans and naturally make mistakes, second chances are not easily available. Errors can be unforgiving. In a cut-throat competitive environment, second chances are not unheard of, but rare to the extent of insignificance.
Customer service plays an indispensable role in creating second chances. Impacting customer retention, retaining brand reputation and continuing success by turning one-time buyers into long-term loyal customers.
Impact – direct & indirect
One failed delivery is equivalent to a competitor gaining an advantage. According to global consumer studies, delivery experience stands as one of the most pivotal factors influencing repeat purchases – outweighing other factors.
An undelivered parcel is a loop of direct and indirect repercussions.
A failed delivery is directly equivalent to loss of trust, indirectly impacting repeat purchases and customer recommendations with a direct impact on credibility.
Trust - the new conversion metric
Marketing teams incur heavy costs on customer acquisition cost, dedicated campaigns and conversion rates. Reliability is an organic pillar that can be supplied at free of cost – with honesty, integrity and wholeheartedness.
Fulfilment partners must move beyond “moving parcels” and scale to build credibility. Companies cannot label themselves as a courier solution – but a trust infrastructure brand.
Discount code v/s failed delivery
The eCommerce brands that will lead in South Africa are those who consider delivery as part of their brand promise – not just an operational line item.
Customers may forget a discount coupon code, but not a failed delivery. A discount is transactional, but a delivery is emotional. Nobody can keep a track of emotions when the customer hits the button “Buy Now”.
Once an order request is sent, the transactional details fade with time. But what stays is the emotion attached to the order.
Imagine and predict
The birthday gift that arrived 5 days too late.
The outfit that didn’t arrive before a grand ceremony.
The package that said “delivered” - but never arrived.
That memory synergises with the brand — not the courier, not the warehouse, not the logistics partner, but the brand.
When customers receive their orders on time, with clear communication and no friction, they remember the confidence.
Trust - the only mile
The final mile is where promises are upheld and the digital experience translates into real-world execution. This is exactly the point where we say “Checkmate”.
Trust is the only journey worth walking…
By Sahil Affriya, the Founder of Shiprazor
