MARKETPLACES
The evolution of bidorbuy and uAfrica
Rebranding one of SA’s favourite online marketplaces.
The name bidorbuy has been familiar to South Africans since 1999, making the company one of SA’s oldest ecommerce service providers. Over the last 23 years, bidorbuy has grown to become a nationwide community of buyers and sellers, with millions of items at any given time.
In 2023, customers will notice some significant changes – notably, the bidorbuy brand will become Bob Shop. The site will still operate in the same way, with buy now and auction services, but under the new brand.
Introducing Bob Group
This change is more than merely cosmetic – it reflects the fact that, as of August 2022, bidorbuy is part of a much larger company. Bob Group was formed from the merger of bidorbuy with logistics specialists uAfrica, and the new name reflects the fact that Bob Shop is an intrinsic part of a company that will offer “everything ecommerce”.
Similarly, uAfrica will rebrand to Bob Go – a dynamic name chosen because it implies movement and energy. All of the services within Bob Group will have names beginning with “Bob” to form a unified association, and to underscore the fact that their service offerings are complementary and can be combined to create holistic ecommerce solutions.
Breaking down the new name, “Bob” references the bidorbuy legacy, while “Group” speaks to the fact that the new company will offer an expanded suite of services and tools to online merchants of all sizes, and their customers.
“Our unity of purpose will be reflected in our new logo designs and the Bob unifier, which will give new energy to our ongoing mission to empower online SMMEs,” commented Andy Higgins, Managing Director of Bob Group.
Ecommerce for everyone
In addition to Bob Shop and Bob Go, Bob Group also features Bob Pay (online payments) and Bob Sync (enabling merchants to seamlessly operate across multiple ecommerce platforms).
Bob Group will be a “one-stop-shop” for all online sellers, from start-ups to major brands. Merchants will benefit from the convenience of a single unified offering, and can pick and choose the specific services or tools they need – and then adjust this as their business grows.
What makes Bob Group different?
“One of our biggest differentiators is our seller focus. We see ourselves firstly as a tech company; we use tech to make things more efficient for SMMEs who don’t currently have access to the capabilities we can provide,” says Higgins. “We see sellers as our heroes and as can be seen from our logos, we’re here to offer them a helping hand. Our goal is to empower SMMEs to sell online, and to make ecommerce more welcoming and inclusive for all South Africans,” Higgins explains.
Being platform-agnostic exemplifies the decentralised, direct from seller to buyers approach being taken by Bob Group. In this way, the company believes it can save online sellers both time and money.
In short, there’s never been a better time for South African merchants to focus on ecommerce as a growth driver.