R1bn in six months: mobile transactions kicking ass in SA

Speaking truth to Africa’s mobile frenzy, mobile transaction enabler wiGroup has processed in-store mobile phone transactions worth over R1-billon in 2013. This is a 500% increase on the 2012 number according to the company as major retailers, including Shoprite Checkers and Pick n Pay have come on line with applications like EeziCoupon and MTN Mobile Money.

The Cape Town-based wiGroup is mobile software business, that focuses on the development of mobile transaction and application technology, while specializing on the integration into a retailers point of sale software.

“This shows quite clearly that mobile phones are now firmly part of the transaction landscape,” says wiGroup CEO Bevan Ducasse. “Over 30,000 point of sale lanes in South Africa are now able to accept mobile payments and process phone-based vouchers and coupons using our WiPlatform solution.”

Ducasse reckons that consumers are increasingly becoming more tech savvy preferring discount coupons, vouchers or loyalty points to be sent direct to their phones rather than being printed on paper.

“Mobile voucher and coupon campaigns are seeing redemption rates of around 50% or more, compared to less than 10% for paper coupons,” he adds. “And it doesn’t need a smartphone – some of the most successful campaigns run through wiPlatform have been targeted to lower LSMs where people often have only the most basic phones.”

According to the company its core product, wiPlatform, provides an interface between retailers and mobile transaction service providers and applications.

“The link at the point of sale was always the missing part of the puzzle,” says Ducasse.

He argues that changing things when it comes to POS is expensive and presents a fair amount of challenges from mobile wallets to banking service but he says the wiPlatform helps:

But with a platform in place that allows their point of sale systems to talk to any existing or future mobile application, retailers are free to try out new things, and that is the key value proposition we offer to retailers through wiPlatform – integrate once and accept any mobile transaction service provider or application you choose to turn on at your point of sale.

wiPlatform is now in place at points of sale throughout the Shoprite Checkers and Pick n Pay groups, including in subsidiary brands like Boxer and Hungry Lion. It’s also enabling mobile transactions in most of South Africa’s major fast food and restaurant franchises, from KFC and Spur to Kauai and Vida e Caffe.