E-commerce education institution Insaka eCommerce Academy has recorded steady and sustained growth since its launch nine years ago.
This reflects rising demand for locally-relevant e-commerce education among South African entrepreneurs.
As SA’s e-commerce sector continues to rise and create new opportunities for businesses, the academy has expanded its training and partnerships, with its member community growing to 42 000 entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that cater to the sector.
Established by Warrick Kernes, founder of online outdoor adventure store Action Gear, the academy aims to help South African entrepreneurs to start and grow their online businesses through sharing knowledge, experience and digital skills to increase online sales, through e-commerce.
Courses and programmes offered to cross-sector entrepreneurs by the Johannesburg-based academy include: Your Online Store, E-commerce Next Level, Online Business Idea Validation, Importing Products into SA, Selling on the Takealot Marketplace and a five-day e-commerce workshop.
Kernes, CEO of the Insaka eCommerce Academy, tells ITWeb that Insaka has experienced consistent growth over the years, as more sellers look for practical, market-specific guidance to succeed online.
He believes the academy’s expansion has been underpinned by the tangible impact it has had on entrepreneurs.
“Since launching Insaka at the end of 2017, we quickly established ourselves as the specialists in online business education. The growth since inception has been steady and strong, as we've pulled together a dedicated team who all firmly believe in the impact of the work that we are doing, which helps entrepreneurs to be more successful,” says Kernes.
“Creating a strong community of over 42 000 members who support and help one another and celebrate each other's successes too, is one of the top factors driving growth.”
Another key pillar is the academy’s extensive library of locally-relevant content, he notes.
Insaka has worked with experienced South African sellers and industry thought leaders to build more than 400 lessons tailored to the realities of selling online in the local market.
“Pulling together all of the best thought leaders and most experienced sellers to create our library of lessons, which are each focused on specific requirements of what it takes to be successful in SA, has also contributed to our growth,” Kernes states.
The academy’s expansion mirrors the broader trajectory of SA’s e-commerce sector, which Kernes describes as “stable and maturing”.
“The sector has been growing steadily over the last few years, even after the ramp-up which COVID led to. A key milestone has been e-commerce sales surpassing 6% of GDP, reinforcing expectations of continued growth. Improvements in last-mile delivery and increased access for township economies have further strengthened the value proposition of online shopping.”
Addressing common mistakes
As more SMEs move online, Insaka has observed recurring challenges that prevent many sellers from scaling successfully. One of the most common mistakes is underestimating the complexity of running an online business, explains Kernes.
“The idea of ‘make it and they will come’ is not a reality with online selling. Simply launching a site does not guarantee success. This is a business and needs to be treated like one.”
Another critical issue is a lack of visibility into business performance. Many sellers struggle to identify where they are losing sales because they do not fully understand their key metrics.
“Not understanding their numbers is a major obstacle. Sellers are often unable to explain where their sales leaks are when questioned. The third mistake relates to over-reliance on third-parties.
“Your store is your business and it simply doesn't make sense to hand over control of your business to someone else. Online sellers need sufficient knowledge to manage their platforms and marketing, and to assess the work done by external partners.”
Over the past two years, Insaka has made “significant” changes to its platform and curriculum to accelerate student success. This includes consolidating multiple courses into a single, more affordable membership.
“Previously, we offered a multitude of various online courses and training programmes, all at different levels of investments, but this year we combined all of our training into one single membership which was made available at a fraction of the price,” says Kernes.
The academy has also introduced a “done-for-you” online store as part of its premium training programmes, addressing delays faced by students during the setup phase.
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