Shop Mzansi by Amazon is Finally Here: A Diverse Storefront For South Africans
Amazon has launched its local storefront, Shop Mzansi, in an effort to support small to medium-sized local businesses throughout the country.
On 23 September 2024, Amazon changed hundreds of lives via the curated storefront that gives local businesses a platform to showcase their goods and services. Amazon customers now have access to thousands of unique products in all categories. These include toys, home, luggage, beauty, wellness and baby products, to name just a few.
“South Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit is undeniable,” says Robert Koen, Amazon’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. “We are thrilled to provide a dedicated online store that provides opportunities to support the growth of small businesses so they can thrive in our economy.”
Statista says Amazon made nearly $575-billion in 2023 in net sales worldwide with over 8,4 billion unique site visits. These numbers indicate the kind of value Amazon could add to local businesses in South Africa.
Shop Mzansi offers a platform for SMME’s to showcase their products to a broader customer base more efficiently and effectively. Of course, it also comes with easy-to-use onboarding tools, payment processing solutions, promotional features and analytics to improve sales. Hence, Amazon offers more than just a trusted online-shopping service.
Suzelle Abe, Head of Amazon Marketplace in Sub-Saharan Africa, said this new storefront will “boost the country’s efforts towards digitising small businesses and positioning them for real success and longevity.”
Heartfelt on Shop Mzansi
Heartfelt is one such brand utilising the Shop Mzansi platform to sell traditional handcrafted products like children’s toys, accessories and decorations. Made from felt and beads, eighteen women are part of the workforce behind the culturally-rich pieces presented to customers.
Martha Letsoalo and Julie Hadley started Heartfelt because they needed an income to survive and support their families. Their goal changed from need-based to wanting to “continue spreading love and create more jobs for women across South Africa and Africa”. From a two-woman mission to a national business, the rural community of Makapanstad in the North West has now entered the global stage.
Shop Tiger Lily Tots Products
Tiger Lily Tots is a Cape Town-based company that sells accessories and toys for babies and toddlers. Sam Olivier, founder and designer of Tiger Lily Tots, said they joined Amazon to “expand [their] customer base, adding a touch of charm to everyday moments for more customers across South Africa”.
Not only do they hope to increase the reach of their stimulative and explorative baby products, but they also hope to donate a larger percentage of their sales to non-profit organisations. One of these non-profits is Hatch, an organisation that supports new or expecting mothers in the Cape Flats. In addition, they also support the Piece By Piece Foundation – a shelter preschool for autistic children.
King Kong Leather
Last but not least, King Kong Leather, founded by John Ebako, partnered with Amazon to showcase their genuine leather bags, belts, shoes, furniture and more. He works with skilled craftsmen and hopes the exposure from Amazon will help him to create more job opportunities in South Africa.
Ebako said: “Having grown up in an underprivileged community, I decided to create King Kong with the aim of training unskilled Africans, which will help provide employment opportunities and improve their status quo.”
Head on over to “Shop Mzansi” to support local businesses, or if you fancy partnering with Amazon yourself, visit this link. Happy shopping, Mzansi!
