Africa declares a new standard for its communications profession
For too long, the PR landscape has had no shared standard for who practises in it or what responsibility they carry, founders say.
E-COMMERCE
Amazon confirms South African portal launch is now planned for 2024
By our News Team | 2023
Long-awaited and much-delayed unveiling will happen next year, although no date has yet been confirmed.
Global e-commerce giant Amazon has confirmed that the launch of its online shopping service in South Africa will now take place in 2024.
The SA launch has been long-delayed and the source of much speculation. Amazon’s intended Nigerian launch, meanwhile, continues to be on indefinite hold due to difficult market conditions in the West African country.
Photo by Kindel Media via Pexels
Earlier this week, Amazon officially announced that the South African portal will go live next year, but stopped short of giving a specific date.
The announcement also included a call for local businesses keen to sell on the portal to register their interest.
Opportunity to grow their businesses
“We look forward to launching Amazon.co.za in South Africa, providing local sellers, brand owners and entrepreneurs – small and large – the opportunity to grow their business with Amazon, and delivering great value and a convenient shopping experience for customers across South Africa,” said Amazon GM for sub-Saharan Africa, Robert Koen, in a media statement.
The statement added that “the launch of Amazon.co.za in 2024 will provide independent sellers throughout the country an opportunity to rapidly launch, grow and scale their businesses while leveraging the innovative capabilities provided by Amazon”.
According to the company, it offers a range of valuable tools, programmes and services to empower sellers and foster their business growth, including hundreds of thousands of hours of free educational content to support sellers at every stage of their journey – including articles, videos, webinars and case studies.
Amazon’s decision to enter the South African market means it is taking on established local players such as Takealot.com, as well as more niche offerings like Superbalist.com, which focuses on clothing, and the e-commerce sites of major retail chains.
Local businesses interested in selling on Amazon can register their interest here.
Researchers find a new way to enhance social media influencer messaging
By carefully selecting followers to engage with an influencer’s post, marketers can significantly increase the post’s spread.
Watchdog instructs auto brand to remove or amend TV ad campaign
SA’s Advertising Regulatory Board finds Kia advertisement could be offensive to people with certain health disorders.
The gap between AI’s efficiency promises and marketing reality
Global study finds AI is helping marketers produce more – but is not creating the time and creative space they expected.
Number of African megacities to increase from three to 17 by 2050
Urban Africa will double its footprint, adding the equivalent of more than 4,000 Manhattans or almost 400 Singapores, The Economist reports.
Nigeria’s Hyper City appoints CEO with strong Carrefour background
Luc Demez brings experience from Europe and African countries as the Carrefour brand looks to expand into Nigeria with a local partner.
Cracking the Africa Code: The functional path to market leadership
What makes brands successful in Africa? A summary of the award-winning paper presented at Esomar’s first conference in Africa.
‘What’s for dinner tonight, mom?’ Woolies’ AI chef may have the answer
Woolworths supermarket chain embraces an AI-powered chef as it leverages two decades of recipes to answer an age-old family question.
Demand for sportswear is sprinting ahead of the wider apparel market
Consumers are prioritising their wellness despite tighter wallets, meaning sportswear remains one of the most resilient areas of fashion.
Deadline looms for African marketing and supply chain awards
Nominations for the 2026 African Marketing Confederation and African Supply Chain Confederation awards close on 31 July.
Researchers study why negative brand news fails to deter some customers
Consumers may stick with troubled brands because their emotional attachment overrides the perceived risk, study finds.
