The digital divide in Africa is likely to be bridged by the television and telephone, says Digital Mall CEO Yaron Assabi.
Assabi says companies with a focus on SA and Africa must have a multichannel approach, especially adopting mobile data services and interactive TV.
Assabi says broadband and other new technology is supporting the growth of the online industry, although in SA adoption rates are still fairly low.
"I believe growth going forward will be faster and we may skip a few technologies. Africa is behind us, but they are skipping technologies. There is a lot of opportunity there, especially with mobile."
Digital Mall sees the Web as a collaboration tool rather than just a medium, he says. It is the most interactive channel and personalisation is easy.
Assabi cites research firm Forrester saying that airlines, for example, want to focus more on direct sales, and the Web is a large part of that. "And linking all suppliers to the platform is a critical success factor."
As the adoption of mobile devices increases, he says, the trend in mobile technology is towards a multipurpose device, and the online industry stands to benefit greatly from this.
As most people in Africa are unbanked, and therefore countries are cash-based, there is the need for a solution to overcome cash management. The mobile channel is the most used and fastest growing.
"There is a huge opportunity to provide underserviced areas with m-commerce solutions for person-to-person point-of-sale payments, business-to-consumer and business-to-business," says Assabi.
One of the challenges is that there exists an array of handsets, operating systems and banking systems. "A mobile system needs to be adapted for different maturity levels of customers and devices," he says.
Globally, interactive TV is also on the rise, with more than 37.4 million households in Europe alone connected.
"People are more comfortable with TV and they don`t have to be PC literate. Plus it`s easy to maintain and update," Assabi says. "T-commerce in the South African market is still in its infancy, but it is poised for growth. The TV and phone will bridge the digital divide."
Digital Mall is an outsource partner for multichannel commerce and relationship marketing, providing customised solutions enabling business to transact and communicate via direct channels.
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