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The reason why we must pay attention to the e-commerce expo industry is tied tightly to that Proudly South African entrepreneurial spirit. Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) have the potential to fuel the country’s economy, providing the opportunity for dreamers with nothing but know-how to make it all the way and take their small band of true believers with them to the top.
South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) proposes a way forward for the country. The plan predicts that unemployment can reach 6 percent by the year 2030 and that 90 percent of the country’s jobs can come from SMMEs. So of course, to achieve this monumental outcome we must do all we can to empower the growth and advancement these businesses.
Which business comes to mind when you hear: “Bananas, you can’t”
That is a phrase that many South Africans (of a certain age) recognise. It is the phrase that, in many ways, marks the beginning of our e-commerce journey. It was the button at the end of an advertisement for Khalahari.net, the South African Amazon.com – back when Amazon was just for books and music. Even though the Kalahari brand is no longer – following a merger with the current “South African Amazon” – takealot.com.
There is much more to this story and the lessons and obstacles that these businesses overcame are an invaluable resource to those following the same path. That is why e-commerce expo can provide all the experts, all the tried and tested methods, all the stories of success and failure that SMMEs need to learn from all in one place.
The increasing popularity of online shopping sees brands like Superbalist, Zando, and takealot and events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday becoming common words in South African conversation. With this, it is obvious to see that SMMEs need support in the form of enhancing the face of the e-commerce expo industry.
When it comes to your brand’s presence at an expo, look no further than your friendly neighbourhood Brand Engagement Designers. Be it in the digital realm, physical world, or a little of both, Whaam Concepts knows how important it is that your brand message is consistent in every space you occupy and we pride ourselves in helping all our clients achieve just that.
When our friends Parcel Ninja decided to explore this world by attending an e-commerce expo, we were right by their side, coaching them on the best way of taking their online specialist company into the world of face-to-face marketing for the very first time.
We worked with Parcel Ninja on the strategy, design, and actualisation of their trade show campaign at eCommerce Africa 2016. The team took inspiration from Parcel Ninja’s warehousing facilities and put together an activation that represented their digital identity in a physical face-to-face environment.
The passion for Face-To-Face marketing and human engagement is at the heart of our business and we are very excited to share this passion with an amazing digital company and assist them in finding their own expression within the space and in future spaces.
With this client, their business was primarily online, and they were looking to explore a more human engagement experience, with other SMMEs who might already have a brick and mortar spaces but need an online presence and some training in the ins and outs of e-commerce, no matter the direction you are going these two worlds need to be bridged and Whaam Concepts is passionate about making those connections.
We are so excited about the landscape of the e-commerce expo industry and assisting South Africa’s SMMEs in going on the same journey. E-commerce lives in the digital world, but exhibitions, tradeshows, and conferences happen in the real world, so the collaboration between these two worlds needs to be fostered with enthusiasm, and the result can only be a brighter future for our country.
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