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Healthy venture for ex Kalahari head

Joanne Carew
By Joanne Carew, ITWeb Cape-based contributor.
Johannesburg, 17 Apr 2015
Novitzkas' new venture, juniva.com, offers a range of vitamins, supplements, sports nutrition and weight management products curated by experts.
Novitzkas' new venture, juniva.com, offers a range of vitamins, supplements, sports nutrition and weight management products curated by experts.

A few months ago, Massmart's e-commerce executive, Colin Fleming, commented e-commerce in SA will not be a big force.

Ex-Kalahari CEO-turned-entrepreneur Gary Novitzkas, disagrees, describing the South African landscape as the strongest it has ever been. He believes consolidation within the industry, the introduction of new ventures and improved support structures for these new ventures, coupled with traditional retailers getting their strategy right as consumers become more comfortable with online purchases, all serve to strengthen the viability of the industry.

He cites specialisation as the new e-frontier. Retail specialists are seeing a great deal of success globally. Large online e-tailers are increasingly buying out smaller, niche offerings in an effort to build category depth, he adds.

And that is exactly what Novitzkas has done; now captaining the ship of specialist health, wellness and fitness e-tailer called juniva.com. "We're a niche e-tailer that wants its customers to be healthier. Our team includes accredited experts in their fields who select quality vitamin and supplement products with proven efficacy, and not just this month's fad. To deliver this, we've built what we hope is an intuitive online store," he says.

As an endurance athlete, Novitzkas has always had a keen interest in the technical data around supplementation and the efficacy of it based on your physiology. Fascinated by the growing popularity of supplements and alternative medicines, he realised how many of the claims made by these products were causing uninformed consumers to make incorrect buying decisions.

"I believed there was an opportunity to address these issues through innovation."

The idea is to educate people so they can make informed buying decisions by offering a selection of vitamins, supplements, sports nutrition and weightmanagement products specially curated by experts. "We add value by being a source of advice and information, which is a lot more valuable over the long-term than just being the cheapest or offering free shipping."

The platform's Repeat & Save feature allows users to select different delivery options depending on how regularly their vitamins and supplements run out and is a fundamental of the juniva.com business model. "This functionality allows you to repeat your order in monthly intervals and have it delivered on a preselected date. It's convenient and takes the hassle out of getting the supplements you need, and you can even change your subscription schedule online at any time," says Novitzkas.

The massive increase in both social and competitive sporting events over the last two years in South Africa indicates that people are increasingly becoming aware of their health, opening up opportunities for companies like juniva.com. "Our community is one place where they can go to interact with likeminded individuals."

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