Expand your township business

Take your business to greater heights with these offers for township traders

I-KASI MARKET PLACE GIVES YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE!

If you are a small business in Gauteng’s townships’ then I-Kasi Market Place is for you. Unemployment rates are skyrocketing in the current economic climate, and more small business start-ups will happen. The biggest problem small to medium start-ups experience is the marketing of their products and services. The I-Kasi marketing team are seasoned digital marketers who understand that your business needs exposure. Their digital marketing strategy makes use of social media, e-mail marketing and search engine optimisation to send traffic to I-Kasi Market Place. Customers will have a look at all the suppliers’ products in the I-Kasi Market Place’ business hub. This means that township businesses can be exposed to the formal market, where the buying power is much higher than in townships. This would mean a decent price for subscriber’s goods and services, and greater profits. I-Kasi gives small and medium businesses the edge. They don’t need a costly website and digital marketing to market their website. I-Kasi does this for you. All subscribers have the opportunity to sell from the I-Kasi Market Place, and with the platform, it would be possible to buy from suppliers, who in turn would deliver the products to the customer, saving you time and money. The products on I-Kasi range from beauty products to services like tombstone manufacturers. All businesses in townships that seek exposure to markets like Facebook and Instagram are exposed to this technology by connecting people to sell the subscriber’s products. Subscribers receive easy and secure payments in their bank accounts through the payment gateway. Businesses in townships can grow with the technology I-Kasi offers. I-Kasi Market Place is ideal for community projects and products. I-Kasi Market Place’s reach is also international as they are able to drive exposure of individual products on search engines such as Bing and Google. For a mere R200 per month and 5% success fee, subscribers receive exposure to a market that ensures their growth. I-Kasi Market Place offers technology and logistics to ensure safe and transparent trading. All subscribers are vetted and all suppliers are monitored to ensure a healthy and safe trading environment.

To subscribe visit www.i-kasi.co.za

DISTELL’S CLICK2COLLECT PLATFORM CONNECTS CONSUMERS WITH TAVERNS

It’s safe, it’s smart, it’s simple and any mobile device will offer users access to the platform. South Africans can now order a wide range of their favourite alcoholic drinks via Click2Collect.co.za, a web-based solution introduced by Distell, South Africa’s leading producer and marketer of wines, spirits, ciders and other ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, sold across the world.

Click2Collect.co.za allows consumers to locate their nearest liquor outlet – some they may not even have been aware of – to place an order for payment on collection. The consumer then books collection for a specific date and time. The platform makes it convenient for users, cuts out queueing and means it’s easy to avoid crowds and maintain safe social distancing. The platform connects consumers with more than 22 000 taverns countrywide and although designed by Distell, it allows consumers to order any alcoholic beverage, including those offered by other producers. Distell is first implementing a special pilot project in the Western Cape to test the platform to ensure quick, smooth and convenient user capability. Said Wilson Khupe, Distell’s head of sales and distribution in Southern Africa: “We are collaborating and working with selected taverns in the Western Cape, offering them support, educational content and tools. Importantly, we are also soliciting feedback from these taverns to tweak where necessary in order to deliver a best-in-class solution.

“Apart from the obvious benefits for consumers such as safety and convenience in obtaining their alcoholic beverages of choice, the system enables taverns to trade in a socially responsible manner, as well as allows access to data that will allow them to focus on what their patrons want and avoid the burden of unnecessary stock.” Khupe adds: “Distell is committed to assisting taverns, restaurants and other licenced establishments to continue trading responsibly, so they can generate an income, maintain staff and pay overheads during this challenging time.”

How Click2Collect works:

Click2Collect.co.za allows orders to be collected from Monday to Thursday between 09:00 and 17:00, as per current liquor trading and consumption regulations, with only 20 slots allocated per hour, making social distancing easier to maintain. On accessing the platform via QR code or by going to www.click2collect.co.za, users need to confirm that they are of legal drinking age before being allowed to use the site. They are then able to use the search bar to find the nearest taverns to their home. They can click the red location item to choose their preferred liquor outlet. This minimises the need for travelling excessive distances to purchase alcohol and therefore limits potential exposure to the coronavirus.

The consumer will then need to input their details, including their name and surname, e-mail address and cell number, choose their preferred pick-up date and time, and add their items to the cart before checking out. Once an order is placed on the Click2Collect. co.za platform, the liquor outlet and consumer each receive confirmation via SMS, containing a link with the order details, ticket number and address of the pickup point. On collection, consumers are required to show their confirmation with their ID as proof that they are over 18 years of age. They pay for their order, receive their goods and encouraged to enjoy their purchase at home.

For more on Distell and its portfolio of brands, go to www.distell.co.za

SPOON MONEY LETS INFORMAL TRADERS BECOME SUSTAINABLE AND PROFITABLE

Street vendors or informal traders are often their households’ only source of income, however, they are often forgotten in discussions around financial and other support for micro-businesses by those concerned with entrepreneur and small business development. Some of the issues they confront daily are access to credit to replenish their stock, building their financial capabilities and resilience, business development advice and support as well as transitioning from subsistence to stable and profitable enterprises. Spoon Money’s founder, Nicky Swartz, says, “Our mission is to support women in lowincome market segments to build sustainable and profitable businesses. With our country re-emerging after nearly two months under lockdown, level 3 lockdown will see many informal traders resuming their business activities. They need support to get back on their feet and to grow their businesses in a way that will enable it to be around for many years to come.”

Recognising the vital role that the informal trading sector plays in communities, as well as its contribution to job creation, Spoon Money provides support to traders to grow their businesses. The initiative is based on stokvel principles, where a group of five or more women form a group to access Spoon Money’s suite of products. Once approved, the groups start saving with Spoon Money, and are able to apply for credit to boost their businesses. This model differs from the traditional stokvel in that it invests group savings or contributions into external investment vehicles to generate returns for members. Improved cashflows make it possible to build up reserves to cover unexpected financial needs, or to improve their standards of living over the long term. To build up a cash reserve is critical to the survival of small businesses, as has been highlighted by the Covid-19 crisis. The Spoon Money model includes a savings component where members are required to contribute a monthly minimum of R100. Says Nicky, “Business owners are encouraged to set a savings target, and work towards achieving this; contributions from each business is invested with a reputable asset manager who is able to provide access to wealth-creating capital markets. Participants are able to withdraw their savings at any time, provided their group is in good standing.” Spoon Money participant Veliswa Sikweza, a spaza shop owner in Site B, Khayelitsha, says that before she joined Spoon Money it was extremely difficult to access credit to grow her business. The Spoon team onboarded her even though she had been blacklisted. “I am grateful for Spoon Money’s belief in me and my business’s potential to grow. I now run a thriving spaza shop, and regularly share the details of my journey with other ladies who require support to take their businesses to higher heights,” she says. Based on the principle of a group loan, where every member is responsible for its repayment, Spoon Money’s participants are able to access credit for stock replenishment. Concludes Nicky, “At the very heart of our vision is thriving township success stories which can be used as role models for others in the community to achieve greater economic mobility and success. We therefore want to make a strong appeal to female informal traders to contact us to embark on an enriching and empowering journey to take their businesses to an enterprise which benefits themselves, as well as the communities in which they operate.”

For more information, or to sign up, Spoon Money can be contacted on info@ spoonmoney.com or 078 086 8765.