Online shoppers seek trust, fairness

This follows a six-month survey conducted in early 2013 with 30,000 face-to-face and telephonic interviews, as Ask Afrika Orange Index® Awards introduced online retail as a new category. The industry ranked 20th out of the 22 industries measured. The winner of the Online Shopping category was Kalahari, followed by OLX, Amazon.com, Online Shopping and Shopdirect.

Currently the average service delivery performance of companies/organisations is 55% for fairness, 57% for trust and 59% for Humanness. Brands are thus performing poorly in these dimensions and this indicates the areas where there is room for improvement. Consumers are no longer satisfied with pure transactional competency but are looking for what value companies have and how they contribute to society. Social investments from brands into communities are not only expected but remain a key contributor to customer loyalty and retention.

Social media and technological advancements have created a society that shares links more easily eg via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or financial details for online shopping. It creates a collective consciousness of trust to share moments and memories with each other. South Africans expect the same from brands they engage with and pay money for. Brands should promote honesty and transparency.