2025 will be massive in the ecommerce space
Andy Higgins, the Managing Director of Bob Group, has a knack for predicting (and shaping) the future of ecommerce in South Africa, so naturally we were keen to hear his predictions for 2025. He told us that Bob Group has very exciting plans for 2025, so fasten your seatbelts – this is going to get interesting!
Launching PayShap
Bob Group has always offered merchants and buyers many different ways to pay and get paid, from our own Bob Bucks currency to instalment plans. In 2025, we’ll have our focus on PayShap via Bob Pay, perhaps the most radical innovation in ecommerce payments yet.
With PayShap, all you need is your mobile number to send and receive money. This new service works with most major South African banks, and instant payments are made directly to and from your bank account. PayShap is fast, secure and convenient, saving you money and time. It’s the ideal payments solution for busy people who are always on the go.
With PayShap, there’s no minimum amount you can pay, and an upper limit of R3000 per transaction, that makes it perfect for ecommerce. As we roll out PayShap functionality during 2025, we anticipate the ‘request to pay’ function being extremely popular.
Bob Go goes global
If you ask Bob Go subscribers which feature they’d most like us to add to our order management and fulfilment service, it’s a safe bet that they’ll say international shipping. Our team has been working tirelessly to make this happen, and Andy has confirmed that overseas shipping will be coming to Bob Go this year.
If you’re a Bob Go merchant, the world is now your oyster. Reach buyers in almost every country of the world, expand your footprint, and tap into new communities of customers. With international shipping, you can take advantage of exchange rates to offer unbeatable deals to buyers in Europe, Asia and North America.
If you’re ready for your online business to expand worldwide, Bob Go has your back in 2025 and beyond.
Bob Box gets bigger
Closer to home, Andy revealed that Bob Box – our secure drop-off and pickup locker and counter service – has some seriously ambitious expansion plans for 2025. By June, there will be over 500 Bob Box locations as Bob Box expands beyond Gauteng and into more areas of South Africa.
That means that more buyers and sellers can take advantage of the convenience of never having to wait in for a courier. Instead, they can use their nearest Bob Box locker at a mall, office park or garage.
A very exciting year ahead
The expansion of the Bob Box network is just one more way that we’re using innovation and technology to transform the South African ecommerce experience.
We’re committed to making buying and selling easier and more accessible for people across the country, and enabling connections between like-minded people, wherever they happen to be.
That’s the beauty of ecommerce – whether you’re running a side hustle or a full-time business, or simply shopping online because of the choice and convenience it offers, it’s the ideal way to connect and share.
Watch this space
Of course, it’s still early in 2025, so don’t be surprised if Bob Group springs more surprises during the rest of the year. With a visionary like Andy at the helm, you can expect the unexpected and look forward to amazing online experiences that have the power to enrich your life. One thing we can predict with confidence is that 2025 will be a very exciting year for Bob Group, which is great news for merchants and buyers.
