Samsung opens online store

It offers four sections - mobile phones, home appliances, PC/peripherals and print solutions.

"More than 50% of consumers that were visiting our website were interested in buying products immediately. As we are always looking for ways to make our consumers' lives easier, we decided to open this online store," says Deon Liebenberg, MD at Samsung Electronics South Africa.

"This, coupled with the growth, and subsequent demand in e-commerce (6.8 million people will be online for 5 years or more by 2015, essentially doubling the current e-commerce market potential*) has meant that extending our channel to market through this online store will promote our brand promise of digital leadership."

Payment is made with a credit card (Visa and MasterCard) or via the EFT option. Once the transaction has been approved and payment received, the products will be delivered within seven working days.

Future growth using social media

"This store is officially live and will continue to grow in the months to come. The company is also looking at utilising key social media tools and platforms in the near future to open up additional access to our products. This will ensure that our online presence further expands in line with our walk-in brand stores," concludes Liebenberg.

Website revamped

The South African website has been revamped and revived with more functionality and interactivity. The site is now more user-friendly and content is readily available in just a few clicks. Social Media has been seamlessly integrated onto the website so consumers do not have to leave the site to share products or 'Like' on the Facebook page. In a further effort to ensure 'real time' service, there is live chat functionality for customer services so that customer queries can be resolved effectively and efficiently. User-generated content is a great way for the company to listen to its consumers. This feature will include consumer reviews on product and consumer product ratings (on a scale of 1 - 5) and can be completed and viewed on the site.

To view the site, go to www.samsungonlinestore.co.za.

*World Wide Worx, Online Retail in SA 2011