Arthur Goldstuck

A fan of all things internet-related, Arthur's been into e-commerce way before it went mainstream.
He wrote a book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet in 1995.
In it, he tracked the very first transaction to take place online.

Arthur took note of the first stirrings of e-commerce in South Africa in 1996.
While it wasn't in the shape that we recognise now, those were the first attempts at transacting online.
E-commerce websites, as we know them now, really only took hold in the early 2000s.

There was a lot of investment in e-commerce in the early 2000s that barely saw returns.
After research, Arthur found it takes five years of being online before people are ready to shop online.
Sure enough, in 2006, we saw the first stirrings of online shopping activity in South Africa.

This year, World Wide Worx released its most significant report on e-commerce to date.
The report focuses on the exponential growth of e-commerce in the last couple of years.
The massive growth is unprecedented and can be attributed to the pandemic and the ensuing digital revolution.

The biggest difference is in how e-commerce is now normalised across age groups.
Prior, it was more utilised by a younger age group with disposable income.
Now, up to 17% of people 65 years and older are using e-commerce.

Before Checkers Sixty60 - grocery delivery in SA typically took a few days or weeks.
Checkers changed the game, and just in time for the pandemic, to grocery delivery in just 60 minutes.
This has had an impact on the people who shop in Checkers physical stores too - widening their customer base.

Besides delivering on your promise, creating a delightful experience for your customers is key.
Remember that your customer will not always want to come to you - go to them instead.
Create an experience out of your delivery and you'll have loyal customers.

Arthur believes there is too much red tape around doing business in SA.
Certain processes are very stringent and most small business owners can't afford the expertise.
Stringent processes keep out the very businesses that need to benefit from them.

E-commerce in SA is seeing an upward trajectory that is eventually expected to flatten.
We'll see the line between online and physical retail begin to blur even more.
Hybrid retail processes where one orders online and collects from the store are becoming prevalent.

The online and physical stores must complement and support each other.
You need a website at the least so people know where to find info about your business online.
The physical experience is often what will get word-of-mouth rolling so make sure that's impeccable.

Arthur Goldstuck shares his secret ingredient.