I don`t like Valentine`s Day. The sight of pink roses and cardboard cutout hearts sends me reeling. Those horrid little teddy bears are even worse, and don`t get me started on flowers and chocolates. But of course, it`s a guaranteed money-spinner, which means that everyone who`s anyone in the e-commerce industry has some sort of Valentine`s special on offer.
It is quite interesting to note the way in which online shopping culture is shifting.
Basheera Khan, Journalist, ITWeb
Reduced prices on products, free delivery if you purchase within a given timeframe, or spend a certain amount of money, competitions offering big-ticket prizes - all of which yet again proves the Internet is an effective medium for business innovation.
Valentine.co.za is a prime example. Designed and run by The House of Synergy, the site offers free e-cards (it`s an affiliate site of e-cards.co.za), a collection of recipe sites which in turn feature special ideas for romancing one`s Valentine through the gut, as it were.
The site also has the backing of high-profile prize sponsors, such as Ford, Ster-Kinekor, The Grace Hotel Group and others - the catch? You`ve got to propose marriage to your Valentine in the best way possible.
In the mood?
There are a host of other offers; MP3.com invites users to send their loved ones musical greetings, while Musica has discounted a number of CDs by R10 over the Valentine period. MegaShopper has a number of gift products on offer, and inthebag has various product combinations from which to choose, depending on your mood this Valentine`s Day.
The online lovefest has even spilled over into the real world; Cadbury, maker of the PS chocolate bar, has created a site where users can send messages to the objects of their desire. The drawcard is a Cadbury`s hamper which users of the service stand a chance of winning.
It is quite interesting to note the way in which online shopping culture is shifting. Barely two years ago, the definitive statement on consumer behaviour online was that people went online to buy, not to shop.
Now, e-tailers are making a concerted effort to convert seasonal sillies into cold hard cash. Like their brick-and-mortar counterparts, online stores are doing their best to cash in on Christmas, Valentine`s Day, Easter ... pretty much any festive occasion which justifies the purchase of incidental gifts.
It`s not just products though - MTN`s short message service site, www.mtnsms.com has been courting messages from its largely youthful user base, encouraging users to book messages in advance to be delivered on Valentine`s Day.
Love it or hate it
Then there is the approach that caters for both the hopeless romantic and the hardened cynic alike. TheShoppingMatrix.com has a special feature this Valentine`s Day, with the Valentine`s and Anti-Valentine`s sections nestled snugly side-by-side.
I`m still trying to decide whether the trend will continue to grow, and whether enough people will buy into the idea to make it profitable to e-tailers and consumers alike. There are several slightly off-kilter business models that I feel won`t make it for very long.
Edgars.co.za, for example, offers what I can only assume it thinks is a value-added service this Valentine`s Day - purchases of R500 or more are gift-wrapped and delivered free of charge. Is it me, or is that value offering just slightly skewed?
And, as a final aside, another chapter has emerged in the delivery saga; Musica.co.za has announced an offer where for every friend you introduce to the musica.co.za site who then places an order online, you will receive free delivery on your next order.
Which, on the face of it sounds simple. But it gets more complicated; you`ve actually got to e-mail your friend`s order number to info@musica.co.za to enable them to make good on the offer. Oh, for e-commerce offerings that can integrate great new ideas without impacting on the daily life of the consumer!
Share
