Category: Lifestyle

E-commerce, buying and selling products online, is gaining rapid acceptance and growing faster than most expected in South Africa. In 2018, digital commerce was set to make up 1.4% of total retail sales for the year, with 71% of online retailers reporting a profit.

As more and more retailers get in on the e-commerce trend, here’s what you need to know about why you should your shop online.

E-commerce growing fast so get in on it

In South Africa, digital commerce is multiplying at four times the rate of traditional commerce and mobile commerce at eight times. This growth has outstripped the forecasts, with increased investment in online stores than expected. In 2019, apparel stores (stores selling clothing and accessories) were the fastest growing area in online retail.

There is a low bar for entry for new businesses

While established retailers are replicating their traditional stores online, an online shop is a great way for young entrepreneurs to set up their store and innovate. Since creating a platform is cheaper than renting retail space, there are less overheads which make it easier to launch and turn a profit.

Shop social

A significant factor for e-commerce is social media leverage. In traditional retail stores, trust is earned through face-to-face customer service and assurance and this needs to translate to the online world as well.

While keeping customers up to date on purchases, responding to queries on the actual store are vital, expanding your customer relations to social media can help promote and create a relationship with your customer base.

Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook also allow you to connect your store, making it easier and cheaper to create brand awareness and  for customers to redirect to your store after seeing an appealing post while scrolling through their feed.

A global audience

While there are logistical concerns when it comes to shipping overseas compared to locally, putting your shop online removes barriers of borders and means people all over the world can buy your product. This is especially valuable if you are selling a local product that could be of interest to expats and foreing markets.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Communication is based in context. Whenever we go to talk to a person, how we do it depends on who that person is and what their relationship to us is. So you would talk to your boss one way, and to your friends another. It’s the same on social media.

Different platforms need a different voice because each platform reaches a unique audience which engages with the content differently. This doesn’t mean that you always have to create unique content on the same subject for every single platform, but rather be aware of how your post is presented and if this reflects the overall objectives of that platform.

A great example of how to understand how to post about the same subject on is explained through the Donut explanation by Three Ships Media.

They point out the objectives of each social media platform through how you are likely to post on them.

While these need some updating because these platforms have changed a bit since this was put together, it illustrated the original purpose of a users message on each platform.

Now days, it would be useful to add platforms like TikTok with the reference “here is a short video of me lyp-syncing to a song about donuts.”

Most content creators have a primary platform where the bulk of their audience is, usually where they began posting. While making a niche on one social media platform can work because it means you only have to tailor your posts for one kind of audience. But to get the best reach, making sure your content can be shared across multiple platforms is key.

So when making a post for your primary platform, keep in mind how you can edit or add to that content piece for your other accounts.

If for example you are making a review post on a product you’re trying out, why not do a long review video on Youtube, picture of yourself and the product on Instagram, a promotion tweet to the Youtube video on Twitter and a short promo video on Facebook?

It may take a bit more effort but you easily expand your reach and since the best way to learn how best to promote your content on a platform is by doing it, also expand your understanding of each platforms best practice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Need some advice on how to make great content that attracts people to your page? While there are no hard and fast rules that can make your account a smash, these are some simple guidelines and hints that can help elevate your instagram game!

First big tip is be authentic. Your audience follows your account to find out about YOU and what YOU think. There is no point putting up posts that don’t speak to who are and what you believe in because your audience will immediately catch-on and move on. Be REAL! And live in the real world, not the fake world of social media.

Second tip, keep an aesthetic. Instagram is a visual medium and the accounts that perform the best are those that catch the eye as you’re scrolling down your feed and are immediately identifiable to a brand or a person. This can be through a bright colour scheme or tone palette or a connecting visual through each post, for example.

Third tip, engage with your audience. Instagram is an online community and the same way your audience want authentic content it also makes them feel closer and more connected to your account when you like and reply to their comments, repost stories when they tag you and just generally show an interest in their interest for you!

The fourth tip is, post good content regularly. Your followers are on instagram at least once or multiple times a day. By posting one post every day and keeping your stories updated, you will not lose relevance and stay on your followers radar. This leads to interest in your account because it stays as the forefront of their minds.

The fifth tip is, get creative. Instagram is saturated with higher and higher quality content and the newsfeed format means that it all eventually blends into each other. So while some of your posts may be a standard post in line with your aesthetic  for regular posting, having a few posts which are a bit different will make your content stand out on your followers feed. It could be by experimenting with video posts instead of a plain picture, creating intriguing carousels which tell a story or any other idea which sets you apart.

The sixth is hop on the bandwagon. While usually this phrase has negative connotations, in the case of instagram it’s a positive. Making content which links to national or international holidays, worldwide events or even your personal milestones links your content to a greater community and anchors it in something that is relevant to most people. Just be careful that you also stay “on brand” so if your content is all beauty related posting about the Rugby World Cup could seem disjointed and unrelated (though if you can come up with a creative way to connect it, like maybe make-up to show support for your national team that could be a winner as well).

The fun part of content on instagram is that there is a lot of room for creativity and expression. Following these tips can help but it is always a good idea to keep experimenting with new and interesting ways to keep your content engaging.

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