South Africans shop for global Black Friday deals in the US, UK, China, Australia and Europe by subscribing to international shipping services.
This is according to Mark Mahoney manager of eCommerce services for delivery company Aramex Global Shopper, who said that South African consumers have become increasingly more comfortable shopping online from retailers all over the globe.
“Black Friday traditionally kicks off the global retail festive season – we saw a 31% increase in shipments over the festive season in 2016 and anticipate a similar spike this year.
“Additionally year on year growth in global shopping shipments grew by 96%”, he said.
Where South Africans are buying?
Unsurprisingly Amazon remains the “go to” site for many South Africans, said Mahoney.
However he said that site-choice was heavily dependent on whether shoppers were looking to make general Black Friday purchases or had a specific “niche” product in mind.
According to Mahoney, some of the favourites besides Amazon include:
Sephora
Alibaba.com
Asos
Zara Online
ThinkGeek.com
Google Home
AmazonEcho
Fisher-Price.com
Lego Online;
Powerhousefitness.co.uk
What they are buying
Fashion and beauty remains a big focus for South African female shoppers, said Mahoney, while sports equipment, gadgets ,and technology remain strong favourites alongside toys as Christmas gifts.
“While local retailers offer great savings over Black Friday weekend, retailers across the globe frequently cut prices to a mere fraction of their original price,” he said.
“South Africans can look offshore for unprecedented savings and can then use a well-priced shipping company like ourselves to affordably bring their finds home.
“Global shopping also allows South Africans to purchase ‘first to market’ tech and next season’s fashions for sales prices, making up for costly customs duties and ensuring that they stay abreast with trends before they arrive in South African stores months later.”
Source: Businesstech.co.za
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