How to Sell your Products Online in South Africa?

Selling products online is a smart way to make revenue without investing in physical infrastructure for your shop. In the contemporary post-COVID economy, many more businesses are choosing to sell their products online in South Africa. And so can you, too! How? Let's see how you can sell products online in South Africa in this article.

How to Sell Your Products Online in South Africa?

What you will need is a brand and an online storefront that caters to a particular niche. Selling high-quality products means you get high customer satisfaction; which means you get more returning customers and new customers; which means you get more sales. And so the cycle repeats itself and your business grows. Sounds simple on the paper.

However, an e-commerce business can entail a few hurdles. What to sell? What kind of customers to target? Will my business grow? These doubts are common, thus making a game plan before you start a business is important. Do not cast these doubts aside as they can help you brainstorm and come up with a business plan that may just work for you.

Let's have a crack at how you can start your online shop.

Making an Online Brand

When you start a business, you need to give it an identity. That's your brand. When a potential customer visits your business, your brand makes the first impression on them.

This is the first hurdle in starting your online store. It makes deciding on your business's overall nature and outlook crucial. A brand name, when done right, can tell your business's story and what it stands for. Over time, your customers also learn to associate your brand name with certain products and their quality.

So, how can you make your brand better?

1. Brainstorm the ideas about your business. Include the common doubts mentioned above and develop a strategy accordingly. Once you have an idea about your business, coming up with a brand name may become relatively easier for you.

2. Keep it simple. Aim for positive connotations with your brand name. Use wordplay if applicable but don't try too hard.

3. Choose a name that would suit your logos, any catchphrases, and the domain name.

Website Design

Once you are set on your brand design, your next step would be to get a website for your business. If you have finalised your brand design, designing your website per your brand's identity and palette should not be a nuisance.

A proper web design may take hours to days to complete. You or your web designer has to ensure all the functionalities are in place and working as intended. Also, the payment gateways have to be functional and secure. There are plenty of factors that play an important part in visitor retention and the conversion funnel:

1. website loading speed,

2. easy-to-navigate website,

3. SSL-secured website,

4. simple and faster checkout services, and last but not least

5. a customer service page with appropriate contact details or live chat.

E-Commerce Website vs Online Marketplaces

There are two ways to sell online. Either you sell on an e-commerce platform like Takealot in South Africa, or you make your website to sell your products.

While selling on an e-commerce platform has its benefits, you will also have to face their fees and follow certain standards to list your shop and products. On the other hand, getting a website means you do not compete with other sellers on an e-commerce platform nor do you abide by any fees. However, you will have to pay for website maintenance, website promotion costs, and other miscellaneous costs.

In South Africa, Takealot is the #1 marketplace platform to sell your products online. For a limited time, our Takealot Seller Course is available for absolutely FREE so make sure to take a look at it.

Online Marketing

You have launched your e-commerce website. Now all you have to do is wait for customers and watch your business soar high in the sky. But wait, the customers are not coming to my business. Why?

That's because nobody knows about your business.

This is why marketing your business is important. If you wait for the SEO to do all the magic alone, you might just get your first customer within 6 months. But, with advertising, you can attract a bunch of audience directly to your business, thus kickstarting the wheels in motion.

For advertising, you can use strategies like email marketing (newsletters), SERP visibility marketing (making your business appear on search engines), and social media marketing (advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms). Despite paid advertising, make sure you get the SEO right for your business. Because that is going to be your long-term strategy to perform well on a search engine and attract a crowd.

Shipping and Order Fulfilment

Unless you are selling a product on an online marketplace like Takealot, you have to manage your shipping policies on your own. This means you will have to find your own Order Fulfilment service in South Africa, like DSV or Collivery.

The shipping costs should depend on how much your courier service charges. You may also offer free shipping on certain products, but remember that you'll be eating the costs from your profit. How you wish to handle the shipping charges is completely up to you.

Final Words

It is a challenge to sell products online in South Africa via your online business. There will be so many doubts, so many unanswered questions in the beginning. However, finding the answers that work for you is the key to coming up with a successful business idea.

Going for your own online storefront could or could not be for you. Instead, if you decide to go for an online marketplace to sell your products in South Africa, Takealot is a popular option. Skill Space has a great Takealot Seller Course that entails A to Z information to become a Takealot Seller with minimal efforts in South Africa. For a limited time, the course is free, so make sure to have a go at it.

Takealot Seller Course - How to sell on Takealot | Skill Space

If you have any questions regarding Takealot or our other course, feel free to contact us.