Cape Town-based Apple reseller Digicape has unveiled a Web site that it hopes will give it a national footprint.
The new site is part of a strategy that will help build and reward a community centred on Digicape`s offerings and may eventually lead it to expand beyond its single location in the centre of Cape Town, says Robin Olivier, Digicape director.
"We have customers from all over the Western Cape who have had to schlep into Cape Town to purchase products. With the new site most of the process can be done from a computer, which makes it much easier for them to get what they need with the added security of a full service team of technical staff should our customers ever need support," he says.
The site will have "o-commerce" functionality, Olivier says, meaning it will not take credit card payments.
"Stock issues, for whatever reason, have been a feature of the South African market. We believe that we would rather have people ordering from us and then sorting out the payment once the stock is available," he says.
Customers who sign up for the "Digimate" programme on the site will be rewarded with a loyalty programme and have access to articles and reviews on various products, says Olivier.
The opening of the site and the plans to expand have little to do with South African Apple distributor, Apple IMC, opening a store in Cape Town`s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, he says.
"We see them as a challenge. I have never been afraid of competition. What amazes me is that in Cape Town we now have the majority of Apple retail outlets, yet 65% of the market is located in Johannesburg," Olivier says.
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