Online shoppers in the US have just celebrated Prime Day. This year, the global etailer ratcheted up over $6.2 billion in sales, the biggest in its five year history. It sold more than 175 million items, up from 100 million last year. And interestingly, it’s own branded electronics were top-sellers.
This signalled a “a shift in competitors taking the event seriously”, wrote Kiri Masters in Forbes. “Adobe Digital Insights found that the largest retailers (those with revenues over $1 billion) saw their average daily revenues jump by 54% on Monday, and 72% on Tuesday. Meanwhile, small-to-medium sized retailers saw a 28% increase in sales,” she reported.
Now South Africans will have their own annual online shopping day as the Takealot Group launches The Ultimate Checkout Sale this week. Starting on 24 July, it will run over three days.
“The year on year growth of Black Friday is an excellent indication of the appetite for big shopping events in South Africa,” said Kim Reid, Takealot Group CEO. “Internationally, annual events such as Amazon’s Prime Day, Alibaba’s Singles Day and Flipkart’s Big Billion Days highlight the demand for tailored shopping experiences in addition to great deals. What makes The Ultimate Checkout different is that it is built on shopper behaviour and we are hoping to establish this as an annual event.”
In a statement, Reid said The Ultimate Checkout deals were based on analysis of behaviour and trends of over 1.7-million shoppers on Takealot (online general retail) and Superbalist (fashion and homeware). This shopper-centric approach focuses on the highest rated, most searched for, and most wish-listed products.
The Ultimate Checkout will kick off at 00:01 on 24 July and run as follows:
○ 24 July: Day 1: Deals on highest rated products
○ 25 July: Day 2: Deals on most searched for products + highest rated products
○ 26 July: Day 3: Deals on most wish-listed products + most searched for products + highest rated products
Shoppers who purchase across both Takealot and Superbalist over The Ultimate Checkout period, will stand a chance to win a grand prize of R20 000 in vouchers from Takealot (R10 000) and Superbalist (R10 000).
● Over 80 000 products are added to wish lists everyday ● Over 15 million searches received each month ● Top rated products on Takealot: Xiaomi Mi TV Box, Essence Make-up Mystery Box, Fitbit Flex 2, Dometic Fridge/Freezer Bundle, Russell Hobbs Pressure Cooker. ● Top rated products on Superbalist: Hugo Boss Fragrance, Levi’s 501 Original Jeans, Sixth Floor Vintage Rug, Superbalist Wide Leg Dungarees, Asics Curreo II Sneakers ● Most searched products on Takealot: DStv Explora, Philips Wet/Dry Shaver, Huggies Gold, Montego Dog Food, Issey Miyake Pleats Please EDT ● Most searched products on Superbalist: Nike Air Force, Fossil Watches, Vans Old Skool, Sixth Floor Iron Round Mirror, G-Star Raw T-Shirts, Adidas Stan Smith ● Top wish-listed items on Takealot: Seagate Portable Drive 1TB, Alva Gas Heater, Marvel’s Spider Man (PS4), The Alchemist, Nerf N-Strike Mega Doublebreach ● Top wish-listed items on Superbalist: Cotton On Mini Dress, Missguided Square Neck Dress, Calvin Klein CK Truth Fragrance, Fujifilm Instax Mini