Companies that haven't factored the Internet into their overall business strategy have probably missed the boat. It is far too late to be thinking about weaving the Web into the organisation's overall business mix.
The fact is, the Internet in SA is part of the mainstream, and for any company that hasn't laid the foundation already, it's almost certainly too late, and competitors will pass it by.
The success stories of e-tailers such as Kalahari.net and exclusivebooks.co.za are relatively well known. But books and music are relatively low-value transactions - a few hundred rand each.
Today the stakes are much higher. People are now demonstrably willing to part with R20 000 or more online to buy TVs and other electronic goods.
Have a good look at what's online, and you'll be amazed at the breadth of offerings available to South Africans through this medium. We really seem to have caught up with the US when it comes to Internet-based shopping. It is going mainstream, and not just for the computer-literate any more.
In the last 12 months, South African sites have emerged where users can compare prices, go through reviews and buy products without ever leaving their desk or home.
One example is www.wantitall.co.za, which sources products overseas and delivers them to the consumer's door at a fixed rand price, so that buyers don't get a nasty currency conversion or import duty surprise when taking delivery of the goods.
Few people thought it would happen here. Most pundits used to say that people would want to touch and feel the products before parting with large amounts of cash.
But there are many innovative and profitable businesses online that have proved the pundits wrong.
It turns out that instead of touching and feeling the products for themselves, many people would prefer to hang out on the Internet where they can compare prices and features and read blogs about the product they're going to buy.
What they're doing in effect is outsourcing the "touching and feeling" to other people and trusting their opinions. After all, the opinion of a blogger who has nothing to gain or lose is probably more to be trusted than that of a clueless salesperson pushing an over-hyped product at the local white goods emporium.
So if you're thinking of finally getting the Internet to work for you, it may already be too late.
There are already about one million broadband users in SA. These are the people with the spending power.
Jarred Cinman is software director at Cambrient
Even services are under threat. A site called www.pushplay.co.za is threatening the traditional video rental model by offering free home deliveries - no late charges and no contracts - with 60 000 titles to choose from and a free two-week trial.
Few people would have thought an online video shop could work here because of the relatively small online population, and the unreliable postal service. But pushplay.co.za has found a South African solution to the problem.
There are already about one million broadband users in SA. These are the people with the spending power. And the traditional retailers don't seem to realise that these big spenders are no longer walking into their shops.
Is your business at risk? Probably. The best way to find out is to search online for the products and services that you actually sell.
Think like a customer and spend 20 minutes online. You'll be amazed - and perhaps a bit shocked - at the new competitors you didn't know you had.
* Jarred Cinman is software director at Cambrient.
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