Julie Anne-Walsh, Takealot.com chief marketing officer, says that fun, hassle-free online shopping is the way forward for the South African market. "We’re beyond excited to offer Cosmo SA readers our world-class online shopping experience," she says. "By using QR codes, readers are able to snap and shop products across 27 departments, including electronics, beauty, fashion and books – anything they can imagine."
Using Facebook’s QR code scanner, users can navigate from the magazine to purchasing items they love on their mobile phone. How-to icons throughout the magazine instruct consumers to open up the Facebook mobile app, tap on the menu, tap on the QR scanner and scan the QR code printed next to the desired item in the book. Users are directed to the item on the Takealot website and can drop the item in their basket before checking out. To add to the experience, Cosmo and Takealot have included a R200 voucher with every issue so that new users get the benefit of shopping with a discount.
"E-commerce-enabled pages are the new stockists directory for print magazines," says Cosmo editor Holly Meadows. "We need to be evolving constantly. This partnership with Takealot gives our reader the instant gratification she needs. Now she is able to see an item she loves, scan it and shop it within a matter of seconds."
"South African online retail sales reached an estimated R10-billion last year, and we see a massive growth opportunity in the digital commerce sector. E-commerce is driven largely by a Millennial consumer with high mobile penetration – and that’s the Cosmopolitan reader. She prefers to shop online, and she spends an average of six hours a week doing so.
"Our consumer has a digital top-of-mind approach to life, but she also needs help to cut through the online clutter. That’s where Cosmo comes in: our fashion and beauty editors scour the brands and retailers, and source the best of the best buys so she doesn’t have to. We give her a highly curated, expert edit of the latest trends and buys in fashion, beauty and lifestyle products," Meadows concluded.
