Technology Archives

Enhancing the E-commerce User Experience in Africa – The proof is in the profit

2nd June 2023
by Ed

By Rogan Jansen

Founding Partner and Creative Director, DashDigital

Rogan Jansen, Founding Partner and Creative Director, DashDigital unpacks the critical nature of user experience in terms of e-commerce and how a well-thought-out and designed online store drives consumer affinity and business success.

According to Rand Merchant Bank, the value of e-commerce transactions in South Africa alone is projected to experience a staggering 150% surge, reaching R225 billion by 2025. The COVID-19 pandemic propelled the e-commerce industry into overdrive. But more uptake in the e-commerce arena means more competition.

If you are to remain competitive in the booming e-commerce landscape, you should be paying very close attention to the transformative – and convincing – power of seamless user experiences (UX). A well-designed and user-friendly e-commerce platform enhances customer satisfaction, drives customer loyalty and brings users back for more of the same.

The importance of selecting a partner that understands not only the technology of creating an online store but also one that can provide your brand with a site that is easy to use, speaks to the inherent brand values and ultimately helps build and retain trust.

Here are a few illuminating statistics, courtesy of a 2023 UX round-up published by Startup Bonsai:

88% of consumers are less likely to return to a site with bad UX. (HubSpot)
7% of consumers that had a negative user experience or customer experience (CX) said they’d tell their friends about their bad shopping experience through email, phone or in person. Only 44% said they’d do the same if they had a great time.

Research also shows that websites that load slowly lose retailers up to $2 billion a year. 53% of mobile users abandon their visit if the site takes more than 3 seconds to load.

A study in UX success

Dash Digital Studio is a studio that specialises in crafting seamless online shopping journeys that keep customers coming back and drive business growth. The agency undertook the challenge of creating a website for Lemkus – a leading urban boutique for premium streetwear and footwear in Southern Africa.

Lemkus understood the value of great UX and recognised the critical role of good e-commerce design in enhancing the customer experience and driving direct-to-consumer revenue. The Dash team was tasked with modernising Lemkus’s online shopping experience, boost direct-to-consumer revenue and reinforce the brand’s connection with modern users.

The primary challenge was creating a seamless shopping journey for customers while providing community engagement. The site needed to reflect the Lemkus culture, creating a comfortable shopping environment that put customers at ease.

The result? The Dash design team created a unique and engaging e-commerce experience for true sneaker enthusiasts, embracing the core of the Lemkus brand personality.

Touches of South African heritage were incorporated into the choice of colours, and the typography reflected Lemkus’s strong local community culture. A responsive design system that works seamlessly across all devices was integrated, ensuring a simple, easy shopping experience for any user interacting with the store.

An advanced filtering system was also included for easy product searches, and engaging content was built in to enhance the customer experience. Lemkus felt the difference in their bottom line.

Topline results following the e-commerce/UX overhaul:

47% Increase in conversion
168% Increase in revenue
382% Increase in marketing-based revenue
142% Increase in orders
57% Increase in return customers

The reinvented UX has positioned Lemkus as the go-to destination for quality footwear brands, thanks to a unified and scalable design system that has set the foundation for a consistent brand experience across products, categories and content.

What makes excellent UX design?

Simplicity rules. The design process on the Lemkus project was backed up by a component-based system that is easy to update because it works like a simple drag-and-drop builder, giving the client the ability to change things on the go and test with live users.

In the Lemkus case, these design elements include countdown timers for upcoming sneaker releases and other new arrivals. Scalable product cards and multiple content components are also built in. These elements however are not restricted to online stores such as that developed for Lemkus.. Any e-commerce site that needs built-in agility can use a similarly functional system. Why be stuck with what you have in a market that is evolving at a rate of knots? Having the freedom to change, update and grow your offering should always be included.

The first step in designing the perfect user journey is to create every component with the end user in mind. This is where best practice e-commerce UX begins across all touch points.

A mobile-first approach was paramount for Lemkus, given that approximately 88% of their users access the site through mobile devices. In Africa, mobile-first is invaluable, as so many African users access the internet through their phones. According to Statista, In South Africa alone, the share of digital buyers using mobile devices is 48% of internet users.

Content and commerce

New customers were drawn in through engaging storytelling and collaborations online and in-store via community-inspired stories, support, podcasts and events, redefining the blend of commerce and content throughout the site. Interesting content wins customers. And if the content is shareable, customers will do some of your marketing for you.

UX – your online point-of-sale drawcard

Efficiency and seamless functionality should always be the guiding principles for an e-commerce site. Users should be able to swiftly locate their desired destinations within seconds – on a phone or a desktop. Advanced filters search and information architecture can help you organise your content so that it’s easily searchable, easy to find and, most importantly, easy to buy.

Applying these principles, the results for Lemkus were undeniable. Through advanced filtering, adaptability and thoughtful design, Dash significantly improved user engagement, conversion rates and overall customer satisfaction. The enhanced e-commerce user experience translated into a stronger brand presence and increased customer loyalty.

So, the question is, have you taken a good look at your e-commerce UX recently? If you haven’t, perhaps it’s time.

Your favourite TCL products are now available at Matrix Warehouse

TCL South Africa’s rapidly expanding retail footprint has just added another retailer to its mix in the form of Matrix Warehouse which will be housing the latest TCL Google enabled TV products for ease of purchase.

As a fiercely competitive retailer in the tech space, Matrix Warehouse is one of South Africa’s largest independent computer retail stores. The company was founded in August 2000 and started trading in an 80m² store in Alberton. To date, Matrix Warehouse has 27 branches and over 39 franchise stores countrywide. Over the years, the Group has built up a valuable reputation for professionalism, quality and service delivery.

Marcel Huggler, Director at Matrix Warehouse says that the company prides itself on being able to bring the most sought-after computer and related products to South Africans. “When it was announced that TCL televisions would become available in South Africa, Matrix Warehouse recognised the potential of a great partnership between two brands,” he says. “This partnership will enable Matrix Warehouse to bring the public one of the world’s leading brands of televisions. We believe that we are the right partner for TCL to reach consumers directly through our national footprint of 60 stores. With our in-house technical services, we are able to provide the best possible advice and services for consumers.”

Ryan Curling, TCL South Africa’s Marketing Manager, echoes these sentiments: “TCL South Africa is proud to officially join the Matrix Warehouse family. It’s a particularly opportune time as we’re about to introduce two new products into the market in the form of our exclusive C835 Mini LED 4K HDR Quantum Dot unit and our upgraded C735 4K HDR TV with 144Hz refresh rate. It’s exciting times ahead for sure.”

More information on TCL South Africa and its available range can be viewed at https://www.tcl.com/za/en

TCL South Africa can be found on Facebook (TCL South Africa), Twitter (@TCL_SouthAfrica) and Instagram (tcl_southafrica) or at https://www.tcl.com/za/en.html For more information on TVR, visit https://www.tvr.co.za/

TCL South Africa’s Mini LED TV is on the way

TCL South Africa has been inundated with requests for the much-awaited Mini LED offering and the company has just announced that its C835 Mini LED 4K HDR Quantum Dot unit will be available locally around the beginning of July. This unit’s precision resolution, aided by smaller light sources, provides deeper blacks, brilliant brightness and overall greater contrasts.

“This is a huge step forward into the top premium TV panel segment in South Africa and one of our most anticipated products by consumers. We’re expecting a great response once our 55” and 65” units hit South African shores,” says TCL South Africa’s Marketing Manager Ryan Curling. “This July 2022, TCL South Africa is taking another big step forward by applying 144Hz refresh rate to its 2022 premium Mini LED TV models, providing faster responsiveness, sharper imagery, and smoother gameplay,” he says.

“Competitive gamers who want to experience demanding high FPS games and casual gamers who want to enjoy extra responsiveness in gameplay will both appreciate this upgrade. TCL’s 144Hz Mini LED displays enable faster reaction times and fluidity, giving gamers an important edge, especially in multiplayer games.”

The new C835 will be available through select retailers from next month.

“The Mini LED’s local dimming coupled with its 144Hz high refresh rate screen means there’s no annoying picture tearing and stuttering,” says Ryan. “Plus, the premium OKNYO sound system, combined with Dolby Atmos and IMAX Enhanced, provide multi-dimensional audio quality, allowing the C385 to fill the room with immersive sound.”

The unit’s Dolby Vision IQ feature means that display settings are automatically changed on the HDR unit according to the room’s current light settings to ensure crystal clear clarity at every scene.

“The C835 honestly has so much to offer the consumer and gaming market and we cannot wait to launch this new entertainment centre piece into South Africa.”

Globally, pushing the limits of what’s possible with display technology, TCL founded TCL CSOT (China Star Optoelectronics Technology) in 2009 and has invested nearly $31 billion to provide consumers with the best quality screens. Caring deeply for the environment, TCL has entered the photovoltaic sector to produce cleaner and greener energy. Since 2018, thanks to continuous investments in R&D, TCL has focused on developing Mini LED technology and has become a true pioneer and a leader in the Mini LED TV industry.

More information on the unit can be found at C835 TCL Mini LED TV

Employees are calling for better air quality

Not only are employees calling for better indoor quality, but a Pretoria High Court last month confirmed that South Africans have a constitutional right to an environment that isn’t harmful to their health and for clean air. Last week, many Highvelders woke to the strong smell of sulphur in the air which proves just how far we still have to go for many to enjoy clean air.

In her judgment, Judge Collis stated: “If air quality fails to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (“National Standards”), it is a prima facie violation of the right. When failure to meet air quality standards persists over a long period of time, there is a greater likelihood that the health, well-being and human rights of the people subjected to that air are being threatened and infringed upon.”¹

Additionally, there is an expectation from employees, and the question is being asked, “what is our employer doing in the workplace to ensure high standards of air quality to ensure the risk of airborne transmission is lowered?”

“Coronavirus shone a spotlight on the state of our poor indoor air quality, but the problem of low-quality indoor air is not new,” says Dumisani Simelane, Sales and Marketing Director for Rentokil Initial Sub-Saharan Africa.

The media is currently full of stories highlighting how poor the quality of indoor air has become. In the past, one of the easy low-tech methods to improve the indoor air quality was to open windows to allow “fresh air” to ventilate closed spaces. However, as the media and many reports over time have proved, even this has become problematic and inaccurate.

The world and South Africa are facing an air crisis, and the numbers are staggering, confirms Simelane. Poor indoor air quality is responsible for 3.8 million deaths globally while air pollution kills 6.7 million people a year.

However, if it can be called a silver lining, the pandemic has highlighted the issue and people realize that indoor air and resulting health problems are worrying factors, both in the workplace and at home. In a recent worldwide Attitudinal Hygiene Survey by Rentokil Initial, nearly 90% of South Africans rated the quality of indoor air as important to their health.

Recycled air and common indoor air pollutants found in offices can reduce an employee’s ability to respond to the day-to-day demands of their work, leading to fatigue, headaches, and diminished mental and physical performance. Carbon monoxide concentrations in the workplace can cause fatigue, reduced brain function, and impaired vision and coordination. Poor indoor air quality has been shown to reduce office performance by between 6–9%.

In the Attitudinal Hygiene Survey, 65% of respondents said that businesses and employers should do more to provide safe air. 84% felt that it was important that employers prioritised creating a safe workplace.

This too is mandated in The Occupational Health and Safety Act of South Africa, 1993, which requires the employer to bring about and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a work environment that is safe and without risk to the health of the workers². Businesses and employers would be well advised to address the problem of indoor air quality.

The adage of opening windows in no longer a solution but, in a Catch-22 situation, now can actually increase the risk of airborne transmission of common viruses. The solution and focus needs to move towards integrated hygiene strategies! Any hygiene strategy should tackle all three of the elements that cause cross-contamination, namely, person-to-person, surface-to-person and air-to-person contact. Both the consumer and employee require demonstrable, visible reassurance that all the issues are being dealt with.

One solution is noticeable air filtration units that can filter impure air, neutralise toxic air and decontaminate infected air. Placed in suitable locations for maximum efficacy, they will not only improve comfort levels, concentration levels and reduce sickness and absenteeism, but will also provide visual reassurance. This is one way that companies can easily demonstrate their commitment of the integrated hygiene strategy to customers and employees.

“Would you drink visibly contaminated water or water that has strong odour to it?” concludes Simelane. “We all know the answer to that one! Why then should we be breathing contaminated or smelly air when it’s our constitutional right to clean air?

It is encouraging that we are seeing a marked shift in requests for information on air quality and for solutions to improve air quality.”

For more information on Initial, visit https://www.initial.co.za/

Please follow Initial on:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/initial-south-africa/

https://www.facebook.com/InitialHygieneSA

References:

DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) 101 – the long and the short of it

By Megan Walker, (Media Strategist) The MediaShop

Despite how very long in the making this transition process has been, and with a lot of recent press around the switch to DTT, it is still common to find people confused by or lacking full understanding of what exactly DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) is.

DTT employs a network of TV transmission towers on earth instead of satellites in space to transmit signals that are digital instead of analogue. DTT offers better picture and sound quality, more options (additional channels) for consumers, and frees up the radio frequency spectrum for mobile broadband services.

What is the difference between DTT and satellite television? These are simply different ways of broadcasting a signal. Satellite television broadcasts from a satellite in space from which you receive the signal via a satellite dish that is mounted to your house. Digital Terrestrial Television uses transmitters on the ground to broadcast the signal which you then receive using a TV aerial and set top box.

So, when people talk about “digital migration” or “digital switchover” – what this means is the process of moving from an analogue to a digital TV broadcast. When South Africa goes fully digital, everyone currently using a TV aerial will need a decoder (also called a set top box or STB) which will decode the digital signal. Without a STB (like an Openview or M-Net decoder), your TV won’t be able to display the digital television picture.

Who are the various role players and what are their roles?

Government has been responsible for developing the policy for Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM). They are also responsible for ensuring that funding is available for the Scheme for Ownership Support (SOS) for poor households and for the development of a STB manufacturing strategy. The Department of Communications is driving this process on behalf of government and is working with other government departments such as the National Treasury.

Terrestrial broadcasters need to migrate their services onto digital.

Signal Distributors are responsible for rolling out the digital network infrastructure on behalf of broadcasters. The main signal distributor affected is Sentech. Other signal distributors such as Orbicom (for Mnet) are also involved.

The role that the South African Post Office plays is primarily one of disbursing the subsidized STBs to approximately five million of the poorest TV-owning households considered needy and deserving. For people wanting to purchase a box there are several outlets available including Makro and Takealot, and a DTT set top box will cost between R600-R800.

The digital migration process presents opportunities for job creation in the manufacturing of the STBs and antennas as well as the installation and repair thereof. In addition, the establishment of a call centre as part of the consumer support would also create employment opportunity to young people.

The consumer benefits arising from digital switchover are widely recognised, happen relatively quickly and are primarily driven by increases in programming choice and quality.

There are also broader benefits to our society of introducing digital TV including the potential to use digital broadcasting to narrow the digital divide, reach unserved areas, and to provide e-government and other digital services. Cheaper access to the internet will mean greater access to information and education, upskilling, access to e-commerce and therefore overall growth and empowerment.

Ministry reshuffles, corruption, and repeated litigations have slowed the transition process over the past ten years but it’s finally happening. The Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni switched off the last analogue SABC TV transmitter in Limpopo province on 8 February 2022. The switch made Limpopo the fifth province — after Free State, Northern Cape, Northwest and Mpumalanga — to switch from analogue transmitters to digital terrestrial television (DTT) as part of the government’s Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM) programme.

After missing the International Communication Union deadline in 2015, the South African government is determined to accelerate the process of migration to catch up with other global players. During this year’s State of Nation Address (Sona 2022), President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged that by March 2022, all nine provinces will have completed the switch to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).

The DTT roll out impact to advertisers is some loss of TV audiences, and the job of media planners and strategists is one of managing these audience fluctuations. We believe the initial drop off will be the worst, after which some stability will return as people find their feet with whatever viewing solutions they land on. With so many new options being available to people who were once constrained by access to internet services it is unlikely that the audience numbers of ‘traditional’ TV will ever return to what they were. The overall TV universe is likely to decline, so achieving the same reach levels will not be possible – in fact we have seen this for some time now, even prior to the DTT transition.

This is due both to the proliferation of content available for consumption and the fact that it can be consumed via multiple devices, many not yet able to have the audience numbers captured.

The sale of portions of the spectrum will mean there will be new players to the party, and even the established players have plans. SABC in partnership with TelkomOne will offer live streaming of SABC 1,2,3 and SABC Sports. SABC Sales are in the final preparations to adapt the bookings system with Telkom1 and are making sure it’s tested properly. Once this has been finalised, they will be launching it to the industry. Viacom plans to launch the free streaming service ‘Pluto’ in S.A in August this year, and while there is awareness of the paid streaming services in SA there seems to be a gap for free streaming services – so watch this space.

So, for TV planners the days of multi-TV channel stacking to achieve bigger reach will be over, and we are likely to need to employ a stacking model that incorporates a mix of multiple content platforms to achieve bigger reach. The job for TV strategists and planners is about to become infinitely more complicated, …and interesting!

Google TV now even more accessible to South Africans

South Africans love their TV’s and home entertainment systems. In fact, according to Nielsen the average citizen is watching 165 minutes a day on top of working from home, home schooling and other adulting duties and that’s discounting the amount of time spent on mobile devices. With close on three hours of viewing time each day a quality television makes all the difference and it’s a big reason behind the rising popularity of Google and Android TV sets in the country.

TCL South Africa’s Marketing Manager Ryan Curling says that Google TV is completely changing the viewing experience. “Watching TV just got a lot more interactive and for today’s always on, time starved consumer, Google TV is ticking all the boxes. Users no longer need to scroll through streaming services to find something new to watch. If you have a Google profile, it’s a few quick steps to set yours up, and literally have all your favourite shows and apps at your fingertips.”

Google can inform you of the weather right now, update you on the latest sports results, tell you a joke, entertain your kids or play your latest Spotify playlist if you’re in the mood for listening rather than viewing.

TCL South Africa has only been in the country for less than eight weeks but already has an impressive array of Google enabled TVs. Muhammed-Izhaar Ebrahim, Sales Manager for TCL South Africa says that their P725 and its C725 models both have full Google TV functionality with the P725 offering a 4K, HDR 10 professional audio-visuals, with MEMC (motion estimate and motion compensation) picture processing which offers smooth imagery for sports and fast-action sequences. Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos facilities provides viewers with an exciting immersive experience. The devices are powered by an impressive AiPQ Engine Chipset to ensure every signal frame presents perfectly.

“Both the P725 and the C725 also feature Google Assistant and Hands-Free voice control, allowing users to access, launch, and control content, turn on TVs, switch inputs, adjust the volume, search for favourite content and more from a distance – leading to a more enhanced entertainment experience,” says Muhammed.

Google Assistant comes standard, and it’s operated by an always-listening mic built into the set. Don’t want your TV eavesdropping on your conversations? Just disable it with a switch on the back of the TV and operate the voice assistant by holding down a button on the remote.

Another great feature supported by Google TV’s is the consumer’s home screen features all their favourite apps, all in one place. It also displays tabs like the For You tab with suggestions on what to watch. For You will start with ‘top picks for you’ which the user can accept or reject with either a thumbs up or thumbs down depending on genre preferences.

“There are also over 1 000 Chromecast-enabled apps,” says Ryan. “You could cue up your favourite series to play on the living room TV right on your phone while getting ready in your bedroom, and it’ll be ready to watch when you get there!”

There are plenty of practical features to Google TV that make life easier and more fun. For instance, the Ambient Mode displays beautiful images of art and nature and allows the user to have their favourite personal pictures loop as a slide show of memories, pulled from Google photos.

The Google Kids profile makes sure that youngers watch what they should, when they should. Consumers can select kid-friendly apps, as well as set screen time limits, choose ratings and loads more to ensure safe viewing.

“Our Android TV model, the P615, is also a popular choice among consumers,” adds Ryan, “both the Google and Android models are focused on the smart TV segment and provide remarkable applications and functionality.

With an impressive interface design and kids’ profile, our Google TV’s offer 700 000 movies and episodes with 7000 embedded apps,” he says. “With all that choice we may see those average daily viewing numbers exceed the current 165 minutes a day.”

TCL South Africa can be found on Facebook (TCL South Africa), Twitter (@TCL_SouthAfrica) and Instagram (tcl_southafrica) or at https://www.tcl.com/za/en.html