Print media readers will be able to buy goods using an innovative new payment option using WeChat directly out of the Jul/Aug 2016 issue of Stuff magazine. This ingenious means of enabling e-commerce via smartphones is a first for Africa, which is a mobile-only continent.
Stuff, South Africa’s premier consumer technology magazine, has partnered with WeChat and retailer Incredible Connection to offer readers mind-blowing product deals which they can buy and have delivered to their doorstep without ever putting the magazine down.
“At the heart of everything we do at WeChat, we aspire to make every day easier for our customers. Through this new, innovative offering, we are able to turn a physical magazine into an e-commerce channel. We’re making every day easier for not only our customers but for Stuff magazine readers and Incredible Connection customers. We have ushered in a new era for brands, making customer access easier,” says WeChat Africa’s CEO Brett Loubser.
From seeing a product in print to having a product in your hands, a lot of effort is required from the consumer in order to purchase a product. As a result, many potential customers are lost in the process.
“WeChat is so much more than a mere instant messaging app,” says Stuff publisher and editor-in-chief Toby Shapshak. “The app has offered voice and video calling for ages, something most of its rivals still don’t. And, with the addition of WeChat Wallet, users can now make payments as easily as they’d start a conversation. We’re thrilled to be able to use this functionality to turn Stuff into a buying catalogue, and offer our readers real value in the process.”
Readers will not only get a discount on each item, but will get a cash rebate from WeChat straight back into their WeChat Wallet. This cash rebate can be used to buy other products on offer, purchase prepaid airtime or electricity, be sent to other WeChat users or used make purchases at any SnapScan merchant.
To make a purchase, readers need to download WeChat and set up a WeChat Wallet. Once they’ve done so, and have linked a bank card to the Wallet, the purchase is as easy as scanning a QR code alongside the product of their choice and following the instructions.
Stefan Marnewick, Incredible Connection’s CEO, says: “We have always been focused on bringing technology solutions to life for our customers with simplicity, ease-of-use and accessibility top of mind. This partnership takes simpler and more convenient to the next level – everything you’d want from your tech and everything you’ve come to expect from Incredible Connection. Just another way we’re ‘making tech easy’.”
The products in Stuff and their savings through Incredible Connection discounts and WeChat Wallet rebates are:
Apple iPad mini 2: R4,999 recommended retail price (reduced to R4,499 with a R1,500 WeChat rebate) = R2,999
Xiaomi’s Redmi 2 smartphone: R1,999 (reduced to R1,599 with a R700 WeChat rebate) = R899
Acer 15in laptop: R4,999 (reduced to R3,999 with a R1,500 WeChat rebate) = R2,499
JBL Xtreme speaker: R4,999 (reduced to R4,499 with a R1,500 WeChat rebate) = R2,999
Fitbit Alta fitness tracker: R2,499 (reduced to R1,999 with a R700 WeChat rebate) = R1,299
Overwatch game (for Xbox One and PS4): R1,099 (reduced to R899 with a R500 WeChat rebate) = R399
Skullcandy Hesh 2 wireless headphones: R1,799 (reduced to R1,299 with a R700 WeChat rebate) = R599
ShowMax: six-month subscription with 40% discount.
