Gadgets3.12.2023

Takealot smashes Makro in tech price comparison

Takealot’s pricing for tech products is often cheaper than Makro’s, a MyBroadband analysis has revealed.

Across ten items compared, Massmart-owned Makro was cheaper for one and matched Takealot’s pricing for another. The remaining eight products were all cheaper on Takealot’s platform.

Massmart has made a big e-commerce push in recent years, and most recently, the company appointed Srividya Pandya, former Amazon manager, as its head of e-commerce.

Before her appointment at Massmart in November 2023, and after her tenure at Amazon, Pandya served as vice president of strategic integration for Walmart US — Massmart’s parent company.

She also headed the company’s global omnichannel efforts.

Pandya replaced Sylvester John, who had served for three years in the position and, during his time, helped Massmart accelerate overhauling its online shopping experiences across Makro, Game, and Builders.

In August 2023, Mitchell Slape, then-Massmart CEO, said the company had spotted a significant opportunity to grow its online businesses.

He added that many South Africans aren’t aware that Massmart’s online presence is the second largest in South Africa, behind Takealot.

Jonathan Molapo was appointed Massmart CEO in August 2022 when the company announced Slape would step down that December.

Takealot beat Makro in tech prices

MyBroadband compared the prices of ten tech products available from both Takealot and Makro to determine which was cheaper.

Makro beat Takealot’s pricing by R100 on one item — the Xbox Series S console — for which it charges R7,499.

The retailers’ prices for the PlayStation 5 are equal, R11,999. However, for the remaining eight items we compared, Takealot was cheaper.

For some products, it was cheaper by a substantial margin.

The most significant price difference of the products we compared was for a 65-inch Samsung Real 8K Smart Neo QLED TV. Takealot sells the TV for R53,999, while Makro’s price is R16,000 higher at R69,999.

Another significant price difference is seen for the EvoFlow Delta 1,260Wh portable power station, which is available for R15,999 at Takealot.

On the other hand, Makro charges R23,999 for the same power station.

Price differences for the remaining six products — including a 24-inch ViewSonic Gaming Monitor, Apple iPhone 14 Pro 512GB, and Kindle Paperwhite e-reader — range from R100 to R1,900 in favour of Takealot.

The entire basket of the ten products totals R193,490 when purchased at Makro.

However, when ordering through Takealot, all ten products total R165,584 — a saving of nearly R28,000.

The price comparison for ten tech items available from both Makro and Takealot is summarised in the table below.

Takealot and Makro tech price comparison
Item Takealot Makro Difference
Xbox Series S R7,599 R7,499 R100
PlayStation 5 R11,999 R11,999 R0
ViewSonic VX2418-P-MHD 24-inch gaming monitor R3,693 R3,999 R306
EcoFlow Delta 1,260Wh portable power station R15,999 R23,999 R8,000
Xiaomi 4K TV Box S (2nd generation) R1,199 R1,299 R100
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 6.8-inch Wi-Fi 8GB R3,499 R3,699 R200
Apple iPhone 14 Pro 512GB R33,599 R35,499 R1,900
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 256GB R29,999 R30,999 R1,000
Huawei Watch GT 3 SE R3,999 R4,499 R500
Samsung 65-inch QN700C Real 8K Smart Neo QLED TV R53,999 R69,999 R16,000
Total R165,584 R193,490 R27,906

Now read: Takealot and Samsung cough up R10 million after Springboks win World Cup

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