Kevin Tucker, founder and CEO of PriceCheck, mentioned in a press release sent to Bizcommunity that one of the toughest categories this year was the Best Mobile Shopping Experience. “Given that the mobile shopping experience is becoming so important, it was unsurprising that the three finalists in this category all offer a great mobile service for their customers,” he said. “Major emphasis is being placed on optimising the mobile customer experience, and Zando exemplifies this with various features that encourage consumers to explore and ultimately purchase online.”
Sascha Breuss, CEO of Zando, commented, “We are particularly proud and happy to have won the Best Mobile Shopping Experience Award as we truly believe the future of e-commerce lies within this area.
“E-commerce in South Africa is without a doubt growing at an exponential rate. Being in the market for 4.5 years we are still seeing a three digit annual growth rate. Yet, I think the South African e-commerce market is still behind its full potential. I believe mobile will help to close this gap as it highlights the convenience and ‘unrestricted’ nature of online shopping.
Here, a Q&A with Breuss on Zando’s customer-centric approach to offering the ‘best shopping experience’ in South Africa...
What does it mean to take home two PriceCheck awards?We are always happy and honoured when our day-to-day hard work is rewarded and acknowledged. You can be assured that we are celebrating the awards accordingly, especially with our UX, design and IT teams, but also our customer service and operations departments, which have all been key drivers in delivering an outstanding shopping experience to our customers.
Comment on the awards.Our key focus at Zando is not only our customer experience, but to really create that ‘WOW’ factor when shopping on Zando, from the customer’s online experience to when the parcels arrive at our customers doors. So naturally we are thrilled that both the expert panel, as well as our customer base, recognise the time, effort and investment into this area.
How would you describe the shopping experience at Zando?In line with our new brand slogan, Style. Unrestricted, we ensure that South Africa looks great through providing the biggest selection of curated brands, hands-on fashion and styling tips. Our aim is to convert each South African home into the biggest fashion mall in Africa. Shopping on Zando is simple, easy and truly unrestricted – anyone can shop anything, anywhere, anytime.
What advice would you give to other businesses on customer experience?Customer experience is not something that you can build overnight. It requires a lot of investment, both financial (into your supply chain and customer service) and intangible. At Zando customer experience is truly close to our hearts. Our whole company is living a customer centric approach through their daily values and work ethos. As a new employee at Zando everyone gets to work in customer service, as well as our operations team. Even I, as CEO, deliver en route with our drivers at least once every couple of weeks. This ensures we are all working together towards the best customer experience.
What is Zando’s competitive advantage?As the market leader Zando has always set the standard and we continue to do so. As seen in our USPs we always strive to create an even better, easier shopping experience for our customers. Zando is the only e-commerce player that offers absolute free delivery – wherever you are in South Africa; no minimums, no weight or size restrictions. Our deliveries are 100% free. Being ahead of the market also applies to our payment methods (biggest cash on delivery footprint), returns and collections. Our driver is more than happy to wait for you at the door while you try on your new pair of shoes. Alternatively we collect the return for free right at your doorstep. So customer experience does not end on our website, but with fast, free delivery and ultimately a very happy customer.
Why is innovation important in the current disruptive business landscape?You need to stay on top of the game at all times. E-commerce is one of the most transparent industries and thus leaves little room for mistakes. Remaining innovative and creating a jaw dropping customer experience has to be part of your company's DNA if you want to be successful in the market.
What advice would you give to aspiring startup e-commerce entrepreneurs?One: dream big; and two: you cannot create something out of nothing. The potential of e-commerce is endless, but at the end of the day you have to work hard and stay realistic to achieve your dreams. Doing things ‘smart and simple’ is probably my favourite quote in the office at the moment.
I truly believe that South African e-commerce has a significant potential and I invite all upcoming entrepreneurs to reach out to Zando.co.za or myself directly. One of our key focus areas is developing young designers and entrepreneurs and giving them the tools and guidance to build their companies. With our African footprint through the Jumia Group and investors such as MTN or Rocket Internet, we are always looking for promising fashion, design and tech talent. We believe that developing the e-commerce and tech space will benefit us as a company, but also the economy as a whole.
