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The decision by the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition in early May, allowing the sale of all goods through e-commerce, was met with palpable relief countrywide, and many South Africans quickly busied themselves filling their online carts and heading to checkout.

There are obvious benefits to online shopping, not least of which that you can do it from the safety of your couch as opposed to doing the physical distancing dance with other consumers in a store.

You know the one. They come closer, you move away, then wait patiently while they take forever to look at the t-shirts. Then you try to only touch the t-shirts at the bottom of the pile, because, well, COVID-19.

Good times.

All things considered, it’s no surprise that e-commerce has fundamentally changed in South Africa over the past few months.

MyBroadband notes that courier companies have managed to regain the losses that they suffered at the start of the national lockdown and are now experiencing significant growth.

“What we’re seeing now though is a tsunami of consumers ready to jump into online shopping, simply because it’s a necessity to stay home and, for many, work from home,” said DPD Laser chief customer officer Hilton Eachus.

“The courier industry has become an enabler to achieve that, we bring the goods to you, and we’ll do it safely through our new contactless delivery process.”

A recent report by ACI Worldwide shows that global e-commerce sales have experienced a 209% growth in April, compared to the same period last year.

Furthermore, online shopping has become the norm, which is backed up by a recent Nielsen industry webinar ‘Navigating the New Normal’.

Per Bizcommunity:

We have seen growth in online shopping, declining store visits and a rise in out of stocks. Supply chain challenges have also driven consumers to be less price-sensitive on high demand packaged goods.

Consumers are also more oriented towards quality products that will last longer than cheaper alternatives.

Experts predict that going forward, even after stay-at-home orders are relaxed, consumers will continue to shop online in an effort to maintain physical distancing.

To account for pricier essentials and the drive towards quality products, savvy consumers in South Africa are also making use of ‘buy now pay later’ services offered by companies like PayJustNow.

PayJustNow allows you to pay for your purchase over three equal, zero-interest instalments. You’ll pay one instalment at the time of purchase, the next at the beginning of the following month, and the last one a month thereafter.

Services like this are ideal for consumers who want to budget for purchases rather than break the bank with a once-off payment, or see their credit card debts rise.

PayJustNow has partnered with a vast range of merchants across the retail sector.

Whatever you’re buying, may it bring you joy.

There’s nothing quite like the knock on your door telling you that your package has arrived.

[sources:mybroadband&bizcommunity]