South Africa’s biggest online retailer, Takealot.com, saw its annual, five-day Blue Dot Sale generate record sales for the e-tailer on Black Friday.
The sale went live at midnight on 23 November, when thousands of shoppers took to the site. More than two thirds – 68% – shopped from their mobile phones on the Takealot apps and mobi site.
Within the first hour, R11,5-million in GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) was generated and by 08:30 the retailer surpassed its entire Black Friday 2017 GMV. The total transaction value for Black Friday 2018 on Takealot.com amounted to over R196-million – a 125% year-on-year growth in GMV and 127% growth in orders.
Leading independent technology research firm World Wide Worx has estimated that more than half a billion rand may have been spent online over the weekend, from Friday to Monday.
CEO, Kim Reid said: “We are humbled by the incredible support from our customers on our biggest sales day of the year. Black Friday is a great opportunity for first time shoppers to trial online shopping and this year we saw a record number of new buyers make the most of the deals on offer. We paid special attention to securing quality deals on top brands.”
Best sellers ranged from Christmas stocking fillers like Tommy Hilfiger Girl For Her perfume to December holiday camping essentials like the Nu Camp Folding Table. Electronics again proved to be a firm favourite, with over three thousand TVs sold on the day.
Shoppers took the opportunity to save on everyday essentials from Pampers nappies to digital devices such as WD Elements 1TB portable hard drive and the new DSTV Explora 2. The best selling toy of the day was the Jeronimo My First Sewing Machine, while the best selling book was Prooi by local author Deon Meyer.
Takealot says its Delivery Team is now focused on delivering orders in accordance with the estimated delivery dates shared with customers at check out. Customers are able to track their orders, from the warehouse to their door, by using Takealot’s order tracking service on desktop and mobile.
The Takealot Blue Dot Sale extends through the weekend into Cyber Monday, culminating in Takealot Tuesday with hundreds of new deals added daily.