Online retailer Kalahari.net reports that its new partnership with icanonline to sell prepaid cellphone airtime online is proving to be a success.
Hein Pretorius, GM of Kalahari.net, says that if early indicators are anything to go by, cellphone airtime could be a major catalyst in the uptake of e-commerce in SA.
The new prepaid airtime offering, known as Hotair, allows customers to buy airtime from Vodacom, MTN and Cell C online.
Pretorius says Kalahari.net partnered with icanonline to make the service available, because many prepaid cellphone users do not have credit cards. "We partnered with icanonline to enable them to purchase online using a debit card system."
Andries Malherbe, CEO of icanonline, says 24% of all online purchases made via icanonline within the first week of the product`s launch were by customers purchasing airtime.
"We have never seen a product attract so much attention within such a short timeframe," he says. "What is even more significant is that 80% of these shoppers had never purchased on the Internet before. It is possible that selling airtime will introduce a new segment into the online purchasing market."
Malherbe concludes that the success of Kalahari`s Hotair product range is an indication that there are many South Africans without credit cards who are eager to purchase on the Internet.
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