Stocktake: Global digital commerce will grow 30%

eCommerce globally, is expected to rocket over the festive season, especially as some countries are back in lockdown ahead of Christmas; OneCart is expanding its footprint and product range; and there’s a revamp for one of Hyde Park’s longest serving tenants.

OneCart expands beyond groceries

OneCart, SA’s on-demand delivery service, is expanding beyond groceries into new product ranges and has launched partnerships with HP Store and Exclusive Books. Consumers can now add inks and toners from the HP Store and the full range of books and stationery from Exclusive books to a OneCart basket, as well as food, beverages, and other household goods. “We are delighted to partner with leading retailers Exclusive Books and the HP Store, and bring even more variety and value right to the doorsteps of OneCart users, with the ultimate convenience and flexibility of same-day delivery,” says OneCart COO Ariel Navarro. The delivery service offers personalised shopping from multiple stores on one platform with two-hour delivery, one delivery fee and a single transaction. It partners with malls and retailers, big and small, for convenient and flexible same-day deliveries. Until now, it has focused exclusively on groceries with retailer partners including Woolworths, Pick n Pay and Pick n Pay Liquor, Food Lovers’ Market, Dis-Chem, Clicks, Jacksons, Mr Pet, Makro and Makro Liquor.

“Our vision has always been to be an all-inclusive e-commerce platform. Groceries were the obvious market entry point for us. Now, having grown our market share in this area significantly, OneCart is ready to increase its range,” explains Navarro. “We are working very hard on achieving full integration with our existing retail partners’ ranges; adding health and beauty, pets, liquor and general merchandise. We plan on becoming the premium go-to e-commerce platform in South Africa and hope to make more exciting announcements soon.” Besides delivering more than groceries, OneCart continues to expand its delivery areas across SA, most recently adding the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, and Cradlestone Mall and Cedar Square in Johannesburg.

Selling health

One of Hyde Park Corner’s longest-standing tenants, Health Works, has undergone a an in store revamp and broadened its store offering with the inclusion of a wider range of health-based foods (including ready-made meals and vegan meals); and an extended healthcare offering. Health Works’ founder and owner, Linda Weech, launched the store two decades ago. “Although we stock some of the best products available in the world – thousands of them in fact – we sell only one, and that is health.” Health Works’ services include a health coach and numerologist. The store also offers live blood analysis and the services of a trained doctor of Chinese medicine. The latest addition to the shop is a food section which stocks not only takeaways; but also healthy ingredients, including gluten-free products, further cementing the multi-dimensional approach to health. Health Works now also stocks a range of Lola Montez products.

This week in numbers:

700 million

Global online holiday sales are predicted to grow 30% year-over-year in a season shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. But up to 700 million packages face potential shipping delays as global orders exceed shipping capacity by five percent. Digital sales are expected to hit all-time highs and lead to strained shipping capacity, as retailers grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recent research from global CRM company Salesforce. “Digital commerce won’t fully compensate for the projected brick-and-mortar slowdown, but it will be critical to help retailers close the gap this holiday season,” said Rob Garf, VP of industry insights for retail and consumer goods, Salesforce. “Businesses that succeed during the holidays will use everything at their disposal to make shopping easy and safe, including convenient digital ordering, creative and efficient fulfillment, and responsive customer service.” The company’s 2020 holiday season predictions include that:

• Global digital commerce will grow 30% year-over-year (up from 8% growth in 2019).
• Total digital sales are expected to reach a new record high of $940 billion globally. The surge will likely result in an acceleration of digital commerce to 18% of total retail sales globally, during this holiday shopping season.
• Overall holiday sales are expected to be flat despite this digital growth, with an expected $5.1 trillion in global holiday sales.

QUOTE of the week:

“We therefore urge you not to utilise messaging apps for business communications. Ideally, you should have a business communications, acceptable use and privacy policy – which should make it clear to all your staff what the acceptable method of sharing information is,” said Natalie Laurencik, co-founder and director of Consilium Legal, in RetailingAfrica.com.

*Stocktake is a weekly roundup of current FMCG retailing and brand news, curated and edited by Retailing Africa Publisher & Editor, Louise Burgers. Keep the industry updated and send your announcements and news to: news@retailingafrica.com.

Louise Burgers (previously Marsland) is the Publisher and Editor and Co-Founder of RetailingAfrica.com. She has spent over 20 years writing about the FMCG retailing, marketing, media and advertising industry in South Africa and on the African continent. She has specialised in local and Africa consumer trends and is a passionate Afro-optimist who believes it is Africa’s time to rise again and that the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) will be a global gamechanger in the next decade.

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