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Shopstar: New South Africa’s Ecommerce Platform With A Local Twist

Shopstar: New South Africa’s Ecommerce Platform With A Local Twist

From Venture Burn

It’s no secret that South Africa’s ecommerce is on the verge of booming. With the industry said to be growing by 30% a year and the market estimated to be worth R4.4-billion in 2013, we can expect a lot of competition in this arena.

The almost year-old Shopstar is one of those competitors — an ecommerce platform with a local twist that’s designed to allow anyone to create and manage their own online shop with minimal effort. Developed in Cape Town, it’s a homegrown solution for South Africa’s unique ecommerce requirements.

After spending some time in Europe (the best ideas are often cooked up abroad), Shopstar Founder Jens Herf said he realised that there was a massive gap in South Africa in need of filling. Referring to online shops abroad, Herf said that “ecommerce has allowed them to streamline their operations and make more sales, which in turn allows them to employ more people”.

Though there are hefty competitors abroad, as well as locally — such as This ArmyeShop,WooCommerceBigcommerce and Shopify – Shopstar hopes that by focusing on all layers of ecommerce operations (not just web-hosting) it will stand out from the rest.

“Shopstar is local — this means it is developed by people who not only understand technology but also the South African market place. Our clients can contact us and they know they are dealing with a South African company,” explains Herf. “We also believe in collaboration and work closely with our clients to develop new features.”

The company has formed a relationship with significant logistics groups such as DPD Laser in order to find ways of simplifying the delivery processes. It also holds events for its clients every four to six weeks, where industry specialists are present. These presentations range from logistics, marketing, social media, legal matters, photography, and so forth.

Read more at Venture Burn