Makro joins the online shopping party, albeit somewhat late

Makro chief executive Llewellyn Walters says the retailer has undergone an accelerated e-commerce transformation programme in recent months, as part of Massmart’s overarching strategy to become a leading omnichannel (online and store) retailer in South Africa. 

The new “native” Makro app, launched this week, is the retailer’s first fully fledged and standalone shopping app, enabling customers to make purchases of general merchandise, liquor and pantry items. The move comes soon after rumours about Amazon possibly launching a South African division, likely to take on the likes of Takealot and Makro.

Massmart previously announced a multiyear e-commerce strategy which includes a mobile-first focus on enhancing customers’ digital experiences through its websites and apps. 

Jean Ochse, the executive responsible for the development of mobile apps at Massmart, says the search/discovery functionalities have been improved, making it easier to find products, and the customer registration process is now less cumbersome with a 70% process reduction, which was achieved by eliminating unnecessary data fields and interactions.

“Our aim was to provide customers with the most seamless shopping experience ever so that they feel as though they have their closest Makro in their pocket.”

The app provides access to more than 120,000 products, a 30% expansion of Makro’s online product range since January, and is available from the Google Play and Apple App stores.

NielsenIQ South Africa MD Ged Nooy says that from an online perspective, shoppers are aware of the breadth of assortment available digitally at their fingertips.

Wider variety of products