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Faizel Patel – 05/11/2020
As consumers prepare for an unprecedented Black Friday under the COVID-19 pandemic, Absa’s head of card issuing says there has been a 200% spike in the number merchants who have accepted e-commerce payments.
A year ago, thousands of South Africans queued for kilometres at retail stores across the country, trying to get their hands on the bargains available on Black Friday.
While Black Friday falls on 27 November and with the Coronavirus putting paid to the chaotic scenes, retailers were forced to think outside the box with some running Black Friday deals for the month of November starting tomorrow.
Speaking to Radio Islam, Tshipi Alexander says there is a clear and drastic shift towards digital transactions and e-commerce.
“This has actually sped up a trend that was already on the rise if we look from the beginning of 2018 into 2019. This has just driven exponential growth where a lot more people are finding it a lot more comfortable to shop online and are making repeat purchases.”
Alexander says digital transactions and e-commerce may become the “new normal” even after COVID-19.
“I think both globally and locally, it’s expected continue as the convenience of digital shopping or online e-commerce continues to offer great deals for customers, also the convenience of being able to shop from your home.”
Alexander says the Black Friday period will be spread out throughout November by retailers due to COVID and to avoid long queues of people wanting to take advantage of the specials.
Listen to the interview with Tshipi Alexander
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