Press statement: OLX is South Africa’s Number One e-Commerce platform Says Report
Cape Town, 25th July, 2013 – OLX.co.za is South Africa’s most preferred website for purchasing online goods, according to a report released by global emerging markets research firm, Jana.
The Insights on the e-commerce preferences of African consumers survey was conducted across India, Kenya, Nigeria, The Philippines and South Africa. When respondents were asked what their favourite website was for purchasing goods, OLX came out tops in both South Africa and Kenya.
The report also revealed that over 53% of South Africans prefer cash-on-delivery as a method for payment when it comes to online purchases, and cited lack of security as the largest barrier to e-commerce usage.
“With regard to security, OLX ads are moderated before they go live, enabling us to block hundreds of scams on a daily basis making OLX one of the safest places to find great deals,” says Bronwyn Johnson, Head of Marketing for OLX Africa. “People enjoy the fact that actual transaction takes place offline giving them control. With OLX users are able to negotiate with the seller to receive the best deal possible, whereas most online retail offerings have a set price with no room for negotiation.”
Since the launch of the OLX platform in January last year, Johnson says that the website has seen tremendous growth, with more than a million ads posted and thousands on a daily basis. “We believe that the quick uptake of the platform is due to the fact that we have a great service which is offered free, is always on, and is accessible on both mobile, tablet and PC and is one of the safest places to find great deals.”
In addition, Johnson says OLX has invested heavily in marketing its offering to ensure the brand is well known to South Africans. “We are also very active across social media channels resulting in the brand being the 3rd largest on Facebook.”
“Our adverts have proved very popular with over a million YouTube views to date, one of them being the most watched video on YouTube in 2012,” she adds. “Interestingly, towards the end of 2012, OLX was number one as SA’s overall trending searches on Google above ‘Whitney Houston,’ ‘Hurricane Sandy’ and ‘Gangnam Style’.”
Globally the OLX brand is one of the world’s leading free classifieds online platforms with over 100 million unique users, generating traffic of over 1.8 billion monthly page views or 60 million per day.
“Locally we are thrilled with how the brand has resonated amongst South Africans as we continue to deliver a technologically advanced product and strive to always improve on the platform to ensure that users can advertise or find almost anything on the site, quickly and easily,” concludes Johnson.
Cape Town, 25th July, 2013 – OLX.co.za is South Africa’s most preferred website for purchasing online goods, according to a report released by global emerging markets research firm, Jana.
The Insights on the e-commerce preferences of African consumers survey was conducted across India, Kenya, Nigeria, The Philippines and South Africa. When respondents were asked what their favourite website was for purchasing goods, OLX came out tops in both South Africa and Kenya.
The report also revealed that over 53% of South Africans prefer cash-on-delivery as a method for payment when it comes to online purchases, and cited lack of security as the largest barrier to e-commerce usage.
“With regard to security, OLX ads are moderated before they go live, enabling us to block hundreds of scams on a daily basis making OLX one of the safest places to find great deals,” says Bronwyn Johnson, Head of Marketing for OLX Africa. “People enjoy the fact that actual transaction takes place offline giving them control. With OLX users are able to negotiate with the seller to receive the best deal possible, whereas most online retail offerings have a set price with no room for negotiation.”
Since the launch of the OLX platform in January last year, Johnson says that the website has seen tremendous growth, with more than a million ads posted and thousands on a daily basis. “We believe that the quick uptake of the platform is due to the fact that we have a great service which is offered free, is always on, and is accessible on both mobile, tablet and PC and is one of the safest places to find great deals.”
In addition, Johnson says OLX has invested heavily in marketing its offering to ensure the brand is well known to South Africans. “We are also very active across social media channels resulting in the brand being the 3rd largest on Facebook.”
“Our adverts have proved very popular with over a million YouTube views to date, one of them being the most watched video on YouTube in 2012,” she adds. “Interestingly, towards the end of 2012, OLX was number one as SA’s overall trending searches on Google above ‘Whitney Houston,’ ‘Hurricane Sandy’ and ‘Gangnam Style’.”
Globally the OLX brand is one of the world’s leading free classifieds online platforms with over 100 million unique users, generating traffic of over 1.8 billion monthly page views or 60 million per day.
“Locally we are thrilled with how the brand has resonated amongst South Africans as we continue to deliver a technologically advanced product and strive to always improve on the platform to ensure that users can advertise or find almost anything on the site, quickly and easily,” concludes Johnson.