Wish, the popular global online retailer has recently partnered with the South African Post Office (SAPO) to prompt fast and affordable delivery of goods from across the globe to South Africa. This partnership combined will make online shopping increasingly popular as consumers continue to search for the best products that have the best prices.
While the partnership will help local shoppers to cut costs on a broad spectrum of purchases, ContextLogic, Wish’s parent company, has stated that the focus of the partnership is to ensure that goods are delivered to South Africa quicker and more efficiently than before. It aims to be 50% faster on average.
Additional plans in the pipework include parcel tracking visibility and delivery confirmation. Shoppers will also have the option to bundle numerous items to receive one single shipment. SMS notifications will eventually form part of the delivery process and customers will be notified of where their orders are and when they will be ready for collection.
Sekano Kgalanyane, SAPO’s head of logistics, said that this government department has improved its tracking system for international parcels. Now, customers will be able to track their Wish items from dispatch to delivery. “The text message application, which informs customers that their parcels are ready for collection, is automated and customers are constantly made aware to collect items when ready for collection”, he said.
Kgalanyane also highlighted the department’s delivery capabilities. He mentioned that they are currently working with a fleet of over 1000 vehicles and outlets across the country to ensure the rapid and safe delivery of parcels throughout South Africa.
This partnership serves as a huge leap in progress for South African consumers who have recently shown an increased preference for online shopping. With the right device, an internet connection, customers can now access an extensive range of competitively priced products such as gadgets, fashion, makeup, and home décor items right at their fingertips.
Thomas Chuang, vice-president of operations at Wish has voiced his “wish” to democratise and make e-commerce more affordable and accessible.
“The South African market is an important one for the business and our partnership with SAPO will help us to provide faster time to door by 50% or more. This is critical to ensuring a positive customer experience and satisfaction and will enable us to better serve our customers in this market,” Chuang said.