M-Web has announced an exclusive tie up with Interface Media, developers of the leading CD and Internet directory EasyInfo that is set to change the face of e-commerce in South Africa. In terms of the agreement EasyInfo and M-Web client`s will be offered e-commerce services and EasyInfo will become M-Web`s exclusive directory service. The product will be branded M-Web`s EasyInfo and be part of all relevant portals.
"Given Yellow Pages` claims of R8-billion being spent annually on the services it advertises, EasyInfo is well positioned to create the most successful e-commerce services on the Internet. We will be offering existing EasyInfo advertisers e-commerce facilities as well as M-Web customers. There will be a nominal upfront cost and a small monthly fee. Customers are in essence getting access to software that would cost hundreds of thousands of rands to develop," says Interface Media MD Alan Lipschitz.
"It is important that we further grow our dominant position in the Internet directory market that provides measurable results to our base of over one thousand business clients."
The Web is experiencing astounding growth rates and claiming the amount of time technologies took to reach 10-million users illustrates the increase. The telephone took 38 years, VCRs and cellphones took 9 years while the web has taken 3 years and the number of users has rocketed to over 50-million. The number of business adopting the Web or seeking to buy into it is reflecting this explosion.
"E-commerce is currently the most important aspect of the net and is the definitive information resource on all aspects of conducting transactions in a virtual world. It doesn`t mean simply selling products direct, but also transferring of information in return for money or other commodities," he explained.
"While local Internet businesses are talking about e-commerce the question remains when will the SA public start spending online and who will be best positioned to benefit. Through the M-Web portal traffic - soon to reach 10 million monthly impressions, as well as leveraging discounted prices of e-commerce clients and loyalty-based schemes we are looking forward to gaining market leadership in this area while all the likely competitors are still in planning phase," said Lipschitz. Internationally e-commerce based Web transactions are growing at 15% per month.
Speed to market, innovation, and significant investment are critical success factors for dominating the 20 000 business that will have e-commerce capability over the next 2 years.
IT majors and the banks need to position themselves for the move but depend on making the money from financial service and retailing corporates for the enablement revenue. These corporates remain heavily weighed down by existing models and slow rollouts.
"The Web is causing a compression of the supply chain and the beginning of the re-engineering of the market. The Web`s importance to business will, in turn, spur macro-economic change. There is or very soon will be a web-based competitor in all industries, and a web-based business will use the Internet to provide faster service and lower costs to the customer.
"The time for simply having a Web presence is past and companies need to begin creating transactions. The new race on the web is to e-commerce businesses," empahasized Lipschitz.
"Players like M-Web are specifically well-suited to be a leading part of these changes with its established base of subscribers across a wide range of business and consumer platforms. They have already demonstrated the ability to dominate the dial up market complete with existing billing infra-structure and exceptionally sophisticated back end software with switches to the major banks," said Lipschitz.
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