Andrew Smith

Andrew started Yuppiechef, in its first iteration, with Shane Dryden and two other friends.
It started with a three-day event where they challenged each other to come up with an e-commerce platform business at the end of the session.
Yuppiechef began its life as Bug Zapper, a website selling an electric racket for swatting flies and mosquitoes, and grew from there.

Yuppiechef co-founder Shane Dryden, who is a foodie, suggested leaning toward specialist kitchenware as a brand.
Sceptical at first, it wasn't long before Andrew was sold.
There is value in a business partner who can point you in the right direction and convince you of it even when you don't get it yet.

Yuppiechef is the most successful homeware online store in the country.
They have achieved this success by offering rare, exclusive products to a specific market.
That and an incredible customer-service strategy has ensured their place in many homes.

In 2006 it wasn't as easy to set up in e-commerce site as it is today, with platforms like WooCommerce.
Luckily, because of their tech backgrounds, Andrew and his partner could build their own site from scratch.
Being a side-hustle at the time allowed the site to be built gradually and thoughtfully.

Yuppiechef was built from a user's perspective.
It's important to walk in your customer's shoes while you build, to understand how customers want to use your site.
The website started out very simple, with the intention of adding to it as momentum builds.

While Yuppiechef has certainly had highlights, the impact has been gradual as opposed to sudden.
Highlights like winning the SA E-commerce Awards multiple times, and taking over the Woolies lovebirds campaign, come to mind.
But really, the momentum is a build-up of these and other little moments that allow the business to grow.

While it's okay to keep an eye on your competitors, what they are doing shouldn't be what informs your strategy.
Whereas Yuppiechef once owned the online premium kitchenware market, platforms like Takealot are creating new competition challenges.
What Yuppiechef has done is stick to what they know and what their customers love about them.

Yuppiechef does not have an app, to the confusion of many industry people.
It really comes down to resources and the belief that people will use your app as often as they do their favourites.
For Yuppiechef, they are not yet at a place where they have enough of a compelling reason to get an app.

Instagram is a great way to connect with your audience and to grow your database.
Competitions, where you give your participants a chance to sign up for other offers, is another way to acquire new customer data.
Mostly, respecting your customer base will help you retain and acquire new customers.

E-commerce is not easy, it can be a lot more difficult than you would expect.
The online landscape is very competitive and particularly price competitive.
In South Africa e-commerce is still relatively new, therefore the industry is not very mature in comparison to retail competitors.

Andrew Smith reveals his secret ingredient.