Small businesses can take advantage of the e-commerce boom by selling their products on Takealot which is South Africa’s largest e-commerce retailer.
According to a Mastercard study on consumer spending, 68% of South African consumers have been shopping more online since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. FNB Merchant Services estimates the value of e-commerce transactions in South Africa to surge 150% to R225 billion by 2025.
About Takealot
Takealot operates as a marketplace and acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers. They sell and deliver products across diverse categories – ranging from beauty and wellness products, electronics, toys and homeware and decor items – from both large manufacturers and small businesses.
Looking to sell your products through Takealot? Familiarise yourself with their requirements, and fees and find out more about the benefits of listing your product on the marketplace.
How to register on the Takealot Seller Portal
You can apply to become a Takealot Marketplace Seller. You will need to supply information about your business like the brands and products you carry, what category they fit in, your annual revenue, your business registration number, as well as business owner/director details.
Starting to sell on Takealot
It’s relatively easy to get started once you have registered. You will get access to the Takealot Marketplace Seller dashboard where you can list products, set a price and allocate the quantity of products listed. You will also have access to valuable analytics to check your sales performance.
Product listings
To sell your product you first need to create a new product listing. To do this you will have to provide product information together with the description and accompanying images. Each listing must conform with the Takealot Catalogue Product Information Rules & Requirements.
Order fulfilment
Takealot is responsible for the delivery of products to your customers. Seller will however have to ship stock to the Takealot Distribution Center. You can either store your product at the distribution centre or only ship the items when you have an order. Both have advantages and disadvantages – storing your stock at the distribution centre allows for faster delivery to your customers, but it does incur storage fees.
Takealot will then courier your product to a customer.
Find out more about Takealot’s Goods Receiving Requirements: Packaging and Shipping.
Seller Fees
Takealot charges a monthly subscription fee of R300 per seller account/month. They also charge what they call Success fees which cover referral fees, transactional costs, customer support and all-round platform support – these are calculated as a percentage of the VAT-inclusive selling price, per item sold. This fee will be credited for returned items. You will also be charged storage fees if you choose to store your stock at the Takealot Distribution Centres.
The benefits of listing your products on marketplaces
Listing on a marketplace is a great option for small businesses without the budget or resources to invest in a professional digital platform to sell their products. Other benefits for small businesses are:
- Marketplaces manage all the admin, marketing, delivery and payments.
- Offers a one-stop-shop for the customer, one payment, and access to several brands.
- Power in numbers – the opportunity to capitalise on each other’s market and customer base.
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