Johannesburg – In 2020, South Africa saw a 66% growth in e-commerce. And as it stands, a study by Deloitte found that more than 70% of South Africans are shopping online.
Gen Z is also expected to drive a significant boom in the online retail market in the coming years.
The stark reality of doing business today is that every business needs to have an online presence. E-commerce has grown exponentially and allows businesses to increase their sales and grow.
One man is making it easier for small businesses to access the e-commerce market.
Through his Fassernate app, which is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, entrepreneur Elton Fasser is putting the power of online shopping into the hands of entrepreneurs who would otherwise have found it challenging to access the e-commerce market.
Fassernate allows entrepreneurs to build their very own shopping applications on the platform.
Entrepreneurs can build a shopping app that represents them and their brand and gives them access to a user-generated digital online marketplace, regardless of what type of business they are involved in.
“It’s very easy to use, no coding experience needed, anyone can do it. It only requires a smart mobile phone to create a store or business. Users can manage the business from anywhere, where there is an internet connection.
“Users can customise it to represent their brand, use their logos and colours. It’s all about them and their business. In under 10 minutes users can have their business online and start selling immediately,” said Fasser.
Most importantly the app is 100% free to use, however, if users intend to accept online and credit card payments there are additional service fees that will be charged.
Fassernate creator, Fasser, is passionate about entrepreneurs and empowering them to be able to build sustainable businesses that will allow them to create employment opportunities for previously disadvantaged individuals.
“The only way to create employment is to encourage entrepreneurship, start new businesses, and grow existing ones. We need to maximise the use of technology to solve our everyday problems,” he said.
The app has been positively received by consumers and businesses alike.
Officially released in March, 2022 the application already has over 1 000 users and nearly 300 businesses and entrepreneurs on the platform.
Fasser’s hard work has not gone unnoticed and his Fassernate app made it to the MTN App of The Year Awards finals in multiple categories, which is admirable considering it was launched only eight months ago.
Fasser was born and grew up in Westbury, west of Johannesburg, a place he describes as a “gangster’s world”.
He was a clever child who always had a keen interest in technology and computers and managed to secure a job at SAA just after the end of apartheid.
He faced challenges like discrimination and negative attitudes towards him in the workplace, yet Fasser never allowed it to deter him from doing the work he loved.
“Coming from where I came from, Westbury, there were no computers or anything like that around. The world was very different from what it is today where you have your computer in front of you in your hand, which is your cellphone.
“So for me to work in that environment, I was in heaven and there was nothing that anyone could do or say to get me out of there. That was the best place in the world for me. Even though I was treated badly, I loved it there,” he said.
Fasser advises other would-be entrepreneurs to persevere and chase their dreams just as he did, despite the obstacles they may face.
“I always say it’s not easy, but you have to be persistent and work at what you want. If it’s important to you and you really know what you want, then go for it,” Fasser said.
vusi.adonis@iol.co.za
IOL Business