In Cape Town alone, stage 2 load shedding has been estimated to cost the economy R150 million per day.
The constant battle for businesses to keep their doors open to customers during load shedding has been a challenge for most business owners.
With Pathfind Media’s offices located in the Buena Office Park on the corner of Durban and Kendal Road in Durbanville, we’ve gauged from everyday conversations with other business owners in the area what effect load shedding has had.
The feedback included:
Equipment breakages caused by power surges.
A certain saving grace for many businesses, such as The Wimpy in De Ville Centre, is the greater shift towards prioritising the importance of a consistent online presence. Many restaurants started relying more on delivery apps, such as Ubereats and Mr Delivery, which helps to off-set the reduction in foot traffic during load shedding over lunch or peak restaurant hours.
De Jagers (clothing store) has also implemented online shopping, which means their customers can continue shopping during times that suit their schedules, and when they are closed due to load shedding, the same applies.
Customer support is a high priority during load shedding, especially considering that people will experience higher levels of stress during this time. Ensuring that your business is able to respond quickly and appropriately from its designated online platforms (such as a website, Google Business listing, WhatsApp for Business and social platforms) when people need it, is an opportunity to build a loyal customer base.
The prospect of continued load shedding continues to cast a dark veil (pun intended) on Cape Town’s economy.
According to Brendon Williamson, chief sales officer at PayGate, A DPO Company:
The value of online sales in South Africa was predicted to pass R14bn by the end of 2019 (approaching 2% of total sales). That is still a small base, but it means the potential growth is enormous, provided online retailers can deliver a great customer experience Read the reference article on Shopli.
Investing in improving your online presence to benefit your level of customer experience, will continue to be a shining beacon, even IF load shedding ever comes to an end.
If you don’t know when load shedding is coming, download the Eskom se Push App on Android or Apple Store.
Pathfind Media is the most innovative website design agency in the Western Cape, South Africa, as rewarded by Corporate Vision in London, United Kingdom. Our flagship service is a managed website solution.
This means you don't have to be concerned about your website being hacked or slow, and that it will be mobile optimised from the get-go with all the necessary software to ensure you stay connected during load shedding. From planning to content to development and support – we'll navigate the way.
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