Never thought of Cape Town as a shopping haven? Many would call it retail therapy but I would prefer the term retail harmony when shopping in Cape Town. A truly satisfying shopping experience is what you will find here, from indigenous art to the latest technology gadget. Whether you are a mega-mall shopper or flea market fan, Cape Town will not disappoint.
Ask any Capetonion about Tyger Valley Shopping Centre and they'll be proud to point you in the right direction, if it's not too far away, that is. Stepping into this mall gives you a sense of coherence with its arty decor and 'disabled-friendly' facilities. Imagine a shopping mall with 5,000 car park lots! You can't. With over 250 shops spotting the latest fashion and technology, a banking mall, medical facilities and cinema complex, it doesn't get any better really. Turning to a different scenario, let's go to Green Market Square. Located in the city centre, this cobbled Square bustles with stalls selling African artwork and clothes.
A stone's throw from here on Long Street, you can find a similar market, so don't shop on impulse. At the Green Point Market, situated close to green Point Stadum, you will find amazing work of art by the locals as well as surrounding regions. Interested in holistic wares, visit Holistic Lifestyle Market in the Observatory where you'll be charged by the ways of Feng Shui, Aromatherapy, Foot Reflexology, Astrology or the Chinese art of Tai Chi.
If you have more time on your hands, head for the Waterfront to experience the largest indoor craft market in South Africa at the Red Shed Art and Craft Market which is opened daily from 09h30 – 18h00. And yes, how can we forget the antique lovers. These shops are strewn all over the city but for a wide variety with ranging prices, visit the antiques market at Church Street. If you are willing to travel a little out of town, there are more antique and bric-a-brac shops along the False Bay Coastline.
We didn't forget the all important jewellery shopper either, or shall we say "precious stones" shopper. For a change, head for an interesting place called Scratch Patch at the V&A Centre. It has to do with "scratching", unpolished gemstones covering the floor! I'll leave it to your imagination. Don't miss it. If you are a 'serious' diamond/precious stone shopper, head for Diamond Works, at the Metropolitan Life Centre sitting opposite the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The friendly staff, first hand knowledge of diamond processing and not forgetting the champagne will definitely sweep you off your feet.
Article Source
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Shopping online in South Africa
Souths Africans love to shop. And increasingly, as internet access and the number of online retailers grows, they're doing it online, logging on to buy everything from books to wine to electronic equipment.
So where are South Africans shopping online? According to internet researchers World Wide Worx, there are over 800 retail websites in South African cyberspace. Here's a roundup of some of the most popular sites - and links (see box on right) for those who want to hunt down the lesser known ones.
- Air tickets? See Domestic flights in SA
- Living overseas? See Buy SA goods abroad
Mweb Shopping Zone
Everything you'd expect to find in a shopping mall, all online.
Digital Mall
Stocking more than 1 000 products across 12 online stores, Digital Mall was one of South Africa's first online retailers.
Online auctions
bidorbuy.co.za
On bidorbuy, individuals and companies can sell goods either at fixed price or in auction format. The 10 top performing categories on bidorbuy are Coins & Notes, Computers, Cellular Phones, Jewellery & Watches, Electronics, Gemstones, Household & Office, Antiques & Collectables, and Photography and Gaming.
Groceries
Pick 'n Pay Home Shopping
Avoid the drudge of the supermarket queues - do your grocery shopping from the comfort of your keyboard.
Woolworths
Woolworths' full catalogue is available online, allowing you to browse for groceries, clothing and gifts.
Books, music, DVDs
Kalahari.net
Selling everything from books, CDs and DVDs to movie tickets and electronic equipment, Kalahari is one of South Africa's biggest and most successful online retailers.
Exclusive Books
The online shop of one of South Africa's biggest bookselling chains.
Loot
Loot have expanded their range to include CDs and DVDs, as well as a full range of discounted books.
Look and Listen
The online version of the CD chain, Look & Listen's online store is open 24/7.
Musica
Selling CDs, DVDs and mp3 downloads, Musica has more than 50 000 titles to choose from.
Electronics and gadgets
Digital Planet
With thousands of computers, cameras, cellphones and other electronic products in stock, Digital Planet has all the gadgets you need.
NGR Computers Online Webstore
Promising a "low-cost, efficient, personalised computer hardware shopping experience" online.
Flowers
Netflorist
Offering a same day delivery service for orders placed before 12:00, Netflorist is South Africa's largest flower and gifting service.
Wine
Not just for South Africa - the finest South African wines are now delivered anywhere around the globe. Check out:
Health and beauty Ascot Direct
South Africa's largest online health and beauty store.
Event bookings
Computicket
Online ticket sales for movies, theatre and live events, festivals, sporting events, and city to city bus trips.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Online shopping for the credit card-less
There is general growth in South African e-commerce, and online stores are set to benefit from the new users entering the market. That said, the pool of online users is still relatively small, and to make matters worse, of those who do have access to the internet, only 18% actually make purchases online. However, proudly South African virtual cash equivalent MiMoney is changing that by giving credit card-less individuals the ability to make purchases online.
Compared to regions like the United States and Europe, online shopping is still a developing market in South Africa, but Internet usage figures are currently at 4.6 million (9.5% of South Africans are online as of 2008, according to Arthur Goldstuck of World Wide Worx) and are set to grow 13% to 5.2 million people this year.The small numbers of online shoppers in South Africa is partly due to the fear of credit card fraud, but mainly owing to the fact that many South Africans, particularly the youth, do not have access to credit.
The lack of credit cards in the 14-24 age group (and in the population at large) is what drove the development of MiMoney and the identification of its key target market.
The 14-24 age group, despite not having credit cards, are active online users in South Africa.
While about eight local players have developed or are in the process of developing so-called “Wallets” to enable payments online or via mobile phone, these wallets are, as a rule, linked up to a bank account, or to a credit card, and are restricted in their use to a particular online offering or loyalty scheme.
“What sets MiMoney apart is that it is not simply a wallet, but rather a real electronic currency that can be utilised to make purchases at an increasing number of retailers,” says John Campbell, business manager for MiMoney.
'Wallets'
In the USA and in other countries, eBay popularised the use of PayPal, an electronic wallet charged by a credit card. eBay was the first to create a unique trading space between people around the world, whereby even individuals looking to sell just one or a few items could find a global market. Individuals are not necessarily qualified to accept credit card payments; a problem exacerbated by the reigning fear of giving strangers one's credit card details.
PayPal presented the ideal solution for making these exchanges possible because it provided a third party moderator for the fund exchanges. eBay users could exchange products for money, without the credit card risk involved, relying on PayPal to guarantee that the money was available in the buyer's wallet, and would be transferred into the seller's wallet once the goods had been successfully delivered. Funds could be then converted back into real money if desired.
In South Africa, however, the Reserve Bank does not allow the conversion of PayPal dollars into the local Rand, which limits the use of this payment mechanism in the local market. Also, in order to make use of PayPal, account holders must have a credit card.
Your money
“In a largely un-banked society, the PayPal model does not present a practical solution. MiMoney addresses these problems by converting hard cash into electronic money, and appealing to the South African consumer by being free from any surcharges and banking fees,” Campbell says.
Customers get MiMoney onto their phones via EFT transfers to the MiMoney beneficiary account; from certain resellers, at Ster Kinekor self service terminals and from multifunction self-service terminals being rolled out across the country. When purchasing from a MiMoney enabled website, the customer simply enters the 18 digit number of the voucher (the micode) and their mobile number into the designated fields on the payment page. Standard Bank then confirms the authenticity of both numbers, and transfers the value from the customer to the merchant's account.
MiMoney works as currency by forwarding the serial number of the voucher and the cell phone number of the user to the merchant. The merchant receives confirmation from MiMoney of the authenticity of both numbers, and Standard Bank puts the money into the merchants account.
Article Source
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)