Competition Commission recommending huge ecommerce changes in South Africa

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Competition Commission recommends massive changes for Takealot, Google, and Uber Eats in South Africa

The Competition Commission's Online Platforms Market Inquiry has published a provisional report with recommendations that could have severe ramifications for various online platforms in South Africa — including Takealot, Google Search, Airbnb, and Uber Eats.

The inquiry has been gathering evidence and holding public and in-camera hearings over the past 14 months focused on online intermediation platforms in the ecommerce, app stores, travel and accommodation, food delivery platforms, and online classifieds business.
 
Mind blown!

In addition, it was exploring whether Google Search must stop being the default search engine on mobile devices in South Africa.
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“The Inquiry provisionally recommends that paid results are prominently labelled as advertising with borders and shading to be clearer to consumers and that the top of the page is reserved for organic, or natural, search results based on relevance only, uninfluenced by payments,” it said.
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Is the way that search results not the default internationally? What about Bing? Don't they push paid adds?
 
Agent_Smith said:
Think I'll use Google to find some good food that I can then order from using Uber Eats when I am chilling at my AirBNB pozzy this weekend...
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No, you must use Aardvark to to find a pot of curry to order from the Saxonwold Shebeen while staying at taxpayers expense at the Hilton.
 
This is BRILLIANT. I give this country a lot of **** (because it deserves and a lot has to change) but this is definitely a step in the right direction. Thank you, MB for reporting on this.
 
Or what?

Google must change their global business for a minister in South Africa

The entitlement of this government knows no limits.


Sounds to me like the ANC cosying up to that great Chinese firewall.
 
I like this gem from the Communism Commission "In addition, it was exploring whether Google Search must stop being the default search engine on mobile devices in South Africa."
Bring back Ananzi! it had atrocious results, will fit right in with the Gov.
 
In light of this, it provisionally recommended that app stores provide country-specific curation of app recommendations.

They should also provide free promotional credits to local app developers.

On the participation of historically disadvantaged people, the inquiry found that the digital economy is much less transformed than many traditional industries.

It said there are considerably more challenges resulting from historical disadvantages, especially for funding and support.
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Free, free, free. The entitlement continues.
 
I think this bit about Takealot would be a good step in the right direction.

It recommended an internal structural separation of retail from the marketplace to implement equitable and competitively neutral processes.
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Takealot has been overrun with third party sellers selling the same thing at vastly different prices. I'd love if they move all of them to a marketplace section on the site and only show products Takealot sells directly and give you the choice to go to marketplace should you want to. Of course that would also show that Takealot has a vastly diminished catalog of products they sell themselves.
 
Thor said:
Or what?

Google must change their global business for a minister in South Africa

The entitlement of this government knows no limits.


Sounds to me like the ANC cosying up to that great Chinese firewall.
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No, it's just this government following in the footsteps of the European Union and Australia. You sounds so uniformed.
 
Crusader said:
I think this bit about Takealot would be a good step in the right direction.


Takealot has been overrun with third party sellers selling the same thing at vastly different prices. I'd love if they move all of them to a marketplace section on the site and only show products Takealot sells directly and give you the choice to go to marketplace should you want to. Of course that would also show that Takealot has a vastly diminished catalog of products they sell themselves.
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I think you're missing the point. It's about Takealot not promoting their own products over 3rd party sellers with a marketing advantage of owning the selling platform. advantage by owning the selling the
 

I am definitely in favour of this.

Only stupid people with deep pockets bid for Google Placements.
 
Hulle is lekker vertraag. (They can like to be stupid).
 
Lawsofleagan said:
I think you're missing the point. It's about Takealot not promoting their own products over 3rd party sellers with a marketing advantage of owning the selling platform. advantage by owning the selling the
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Oh, I know what they mean. I'm just daydreaming of a Takealot where you don't have to wade through items from possibly dodgy sellers.
 
hj007 said:
I like this gem from the Communism Commission "In addition, it was exploring whether Google Search must stop being the default search engine on mobile devices in South Africa."
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So you’re saying communists understand what actually makes a market free.

Lawsofleagan said:
No, it's just this government following in the footsteps of the European Union and Australia. You sounds so uniformed.
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Exactly, there is increasing scrutiny of the anti-competitive practices of companies like Alphabet.

Lawsofleagan said:
I think you're missing the point. It's about Takealot not promoting their own products over 3rd party sellers with a marketing advantage of owning the selling platform. advantage by owning the selling the
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Just like Amazon. The last thing these companies want is a free market.
 
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