South African online shopping site Kalahari has purchased two new domains.
Now in possession of .com and .mobi domains, the online retailer believes the new domains will improve the ease with which its site can be located, while also adding mobile access.
“Over the last 12 years, kalahari.net has become synonymous with online retail in SA. By taking ownership of all our domains and properties, we ensure our customers can find us, irrespective of what they type into the browser, the applications they launch, or the platforms they use,” says Gary Novitzkas, Kalahari.com CEO.
Novitzkas says the additions to Kalahari's online presence are a sign of things to come. He anticipates they will improve its “online product merchandising, pricing, and usability to a wider audience on the rest of the continent, in the near future”.
Upward mobility
Kalahari's move to enable mobile access to its retail services is reportedly rare in the South African market, with many not believing there will be a need to implement mobile shopping for quite some time.
But Novitzkas disagrees, arguing: “If a mobile device is your preferred choice, then why would you exclude it to say 'primarily we're an Internet PC-based company'? It's integration between the mobile and the PC. It might be short-sighted to say this is just a little niche that's sitting on the side.”
Kalahari's mobile site will provide the same content as its PC-oriented portal, and Novitzkas notes the company wants equal access and ease across both.
“What we're looking at is a search-driven solution that can give you the same content as if you're on a PC.”
Novitzkas points out the importance of using mobile technology to connect with the growing youth market, highlighting services like MXit, which enjoy successful online sales services.
Kalahari.com is currently focused on growth, and predicts it will reach one million registered shoppers by the end of July.
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