Supporting the findings of recent surveys by Arthur Goldstuck, which have shown significant growth in online shopping, M-Web Business Solutions, South Africa`s largest e-commerce enabler for retailers, says that it has seen a 326% rise in successful internet transactions in the last year. "This time last year transactions on the M-Web transaction engine numbered approximately 2 300 a month," says M-Web Business Solutions general manager, Eddie van Rensburg. "Today, we are averaging 7 500 transactions monthly, with the number rising at so called "event spikes" such as May`s Comrades Marathon.
With over 200 retailers on its e-commerce platform, including Pick `n Pay, Incredible Connection, Look & Listen and the Pro Shop, M-Web Business Solutions is one of SA`s leaders in online shopping applications. It is expected that its revolutionary new e-commerce system - Safeshop 3 - will encourage more retailers to embrace the Internet.
Safeshop 3 was developed internally and has been customised for local needs and designed with local merchants and their requirements in mind. In the past, most e-commerce platforms were built offshore, resulting in a lack of customisation facilities and high licensing fees - in dollars and pounds. Safeshop 3 is designed to combat this and unique features include full transactional capability, a choice of acquiring banks and a highly sophisticated fraud prevention index.
According to Ryan Bacher, MD of Netflorist, which has recently migrated to M-Web Business Solutions for its e-commerce requirements, Safeshop 3 offers significant value. "In the past we`ve had to build capability to meet SA needs and with Safeshop 3 we don`t have to do this. We`re extremely happy with the integration facilities and variety of payment methods available."
Credit card fraud is a reality worldwide and Safeshop 3`s highly sophisticated fraud detection index protects merchants from potentially fraudulent purchases by highlighting these before the goods are shipped, allowing retailers to check the transaction in person. Says van Rensburg, "it`s a common misconception that credit card fraud happens online - usually the crime takes place in the real world and the numbers are then used on the Internet."
Safeshop 3 also recognises cards that have been reported lost or stolen and rejects the transaction before it even goes to the bank. "The technology has been linked to the banks` fraud detection systems and is updated every 15 minutes, significantly lowering the chances of a stolen card being used online," says van Rensburg.
In addition, merchants on the Safeshop 3 platform can offer their customers a full choice of payment options including credit card, debit card, icanonline, purchase orders, direct deposits and even COD - widening their opportunities to service their clients` needs.
Another unique feature included in Safeshop 3 is its ability to be fully customised and adapted as necessary. For example, in November it is likely that banks will insist on a CVV number (the last three digits on the back of a credit card) for any electronic payment. The old e-commerce platforms didn`t have the capability to be adapted for this type of change and would have involved significant development to implement the change. Safeshop 3 however, can easily be updated to include extra fields without extra cost to the merchant.
Van Rensburg claims that this sort of development is revolutionary for a South African product. "Notwithstanding the growth in e-commerce in South Africa, tight margins and difficult trading conditions mean that merchants simply cannot afford the time or the expense of redesigning their systems every time a change happens in the local market, as thy did in the past. With Safeshop 3, we can update any changes as and when they occur with little or no impact on the merchant."
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