(11 August 2015)

“You make life affordable! Amazing K Autism School loves you for all the resources we regularly buy on your site!”

“You’re the best for discovering rare treasures!”

“There's not a day that goes by that I don't check for awesome surprises!”

“This website introduced me to the world of online buying and I never regretted it.”

“You guys have been an amazing service to the people of South Africa!”

These are only some of the numerous messages that poured though social media on the occasion of the 16th birthday of South African online marketplace www.bobshop.co.za. Founded in August 1999, Bob Shop is today considered the oldest ecommerce site in the country.

“Sixteen years is long for an internet business. After almost two decades, Bob Shop is still going strong thanks to solid technology available across devices, coupled with numerous online shoppers and a wide range of products offered by a vast number of committed sellers.”

He explains that buyers come to Bob Shop attracted by low prices and a wide variety of products. “There is also the thrill of auctions, the opportunity for great bargains and ability to negotiate on price”, says Jonker and adds: “Our buyers often tell us that, thanks to Bob Shop, they are able to walk away with the best deal possible.”

For sellers, the Bob Shop platform provides the means of reaching a large number of customers with minimal costs and effort.

“We are very proud to be the place where South African internet entrepreneurs can start and grow their businesses”, says the Bob Shop CEO. “We provide them with state-of-the-art online selling tools and with marketing exposure to a large audience of online shoppers. The rest is up to them. They can use the platform to sell as a hobby, or to sell as a serious business.”

Keeping the platform itself in top-notch condition is a continuous process, with the site being constantly improved. For example, Bob Shop was the first South African ecommerce site that managed to make a shopping app for all mobile devices; today, almost one quarter of sales are initiated on a mobile device.
Jonker adds that Bob Shop recently extended its buyer protection programme so that shoppers feel safe making purchases on Bob Shop. The buyer protection programme now covers practically every product, provided that payment is made on the Bob Shop platform. Further to that, a Make an offer feature was introduced, which allows virtual price negotiation between a buyer and a seller.

“In sixteen years of existence, Bob Shop has come a long way from an auctions-only website with predominantly second-hand items, frequented by a handful of users with dial-up internet connection”, says the Bob Shop CEO and concludes: “Today, when more and more people are shopping online, Bob Shop has positioned itself as one of the top online shopping destinations with several distinct advantages. This is where people can both buy and sell, where people can get both the latest hi-tech devices and rare collectibles, and where things are as a rule better priced than elsewhere, because we have enabled sellers to sell directly to the buyers with minimal overheads.”