Zando taking SA online shopping by storm
2013-02-07 11:23
Cape Town – Zando, an online fashion retailer, is making big waves with more than 10 million South Africans that have already visited the website.
Since going live in January 2012 and selling only shoes, Zando expanded its categories to include clothing, accessories, sports and beauty products, Manuel Koser, managing director and co-founder, told News24.
“When comparing the South African market to more established markets like Europe or the USA one can see that online shopping is still very new in South Africa. It is still in its infancy phase. A lot of people still shop in bricks and mortar stores,” Koser said.
According to him, customers mainly purchased heels, boots, sneakers and T-shirts the past year on Zando.
He said an average of 65% women and 35% of men mostly visits the website.
When comparing Zando with a physical store Koser said “while online and offline are very different there are many similarities”.
"For example, our home page is much like a store front, we need to make sure it is merchandised to capture the shopper and bring them ‘inside’, in order to continue shopping before checking out."
He said customers who still want to feel or touch garments before they purchase it can still do so as Zando offer free immediate returns within 14 days.
Koser said customer service is also very important to them and each of the HelloPeter complaints are dealt with and responded to.
“What we find is that customers want the reassurance that their products or returns will be processed. It is very important to read all the email communication that is sent upon ordering, this assists with a lot of the questions and answers that are asked on this platform.”
Koser described the typical Zando customer as anyone who is looking for choice, convenience and fashion that is on trend or beyond trend.
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