By Staff Writer
Fast on the heels of Groupon’s exit from the South African market, newly formed Hyperli is set to take the online deal marketplace by storm. Hyperli has honed its offering and today launches a newly curated online marketplace focused on delivering relevant deals to South African consumers.
Collective online buying has been part of the South African psyche since 2009.
South African consumers are increasingly motivated to shop online with reasons cited as saving time, access to product reviews, special offers and price comparisons being the top four according to research from Effective Measure, sponsored by VISA and iaB South Africa (source: E-Commerce Industry Report June 2016). Further, the findings show that of those South Africans already shopping online 42% are looking for special offers.
Online deal-of-the-day services are credited for introducing new customers to brands, often helping to drive brand awareness and sales for many businesses. Research from international industry heavyweight Groupon indicates that 80% of their merchants who have used deal sites will use them again.
“Times are tough for South African consumers and business alike, so being able to deliver well-priced, immediate deals makes great business sense,” says Hyperli CEO and founder, Wayne Gosling. “Hyperli connects businesses to consumers, it provides an effective marketing tool for brands and services providers looking to expand their customer base and to profitably grow their businesses.”
Funded by Team Africa Ventures and backed by the senior team that brought Groupon to South Africa, the Hyperli platform has been developed by some of the best tech specialists in the country. Incorporating various standout features, the merchant offering includes enriched data analytics and seamless redemption through the Hyperli merchant app. Consumers will enjoy an easy-to-use deal redemption feature, and a variety of secure payment options. A dedicated mobile app will be launched in the near future.
Hyperli has formed strategic partnerships with some of South Africa’s most loved brands (Ster Kinekor, Unilever, and Jimmy’s Killer Prawns) to deliver exciting deals in the run up to the festive season.
“While South Africa is still in the early stages of e-commerce adoption, we expect the next twelve months will be a breakthrough period for Hyperli. This will be accelerated by the growth of smartphone users who tend to be more engaged than web-only customers, purchasing more frequently and spending more,” says Simon Bowes, Retail Director at Hyperli.
Recognising that cashflow is king to small business a transparent pricing structure has been incorporated so that business owners can select the right deal redemption criteria to meet their business needs. Hyperli values its relationships with local merchants and has prioritised cost effective business solutions that drive growth as a core objective in the coming months. Hyperli aims to be the business platform that assists SMEs with systems that can manage marketing, reservations and payment so that they can concentrate on what they do best, offering their customers amazing experiences.
Hyperli has its sights set firmly on becoming South Africa’s foremost online commerce player. Over the coming months it will expand its reach to cover all major cities across categories such as food and drink, beauty and spas, things to do, goods and getaways.
“Our mission has been to create a data rich platform that enables merchants to provide relevant deals whilst ensuring that the friction is taken out of deal redemption,” says Gosling. “Our experience taught us that ease-of-use is as important as deal variety so we strived to prioritise both.”
