Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has unveiled its online marketplace designed to allow its customers in South Africa to purchase its products and solutions anytime and anywhere, with plans to scale to the rest of Anglophone Africa countries in the next fiscal. 

Mandisa Guliwe, eCommerce Manager for Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric, says the company has engaged with authorised reseller partners from their distribution network to be onboarded as sellers on the Schneider Electric Marketplace. 

She explains that through eCommerce the business aims to transform and disrupt business as usual for the electrical products and industrial automation industry which comprises largely of brick-and-mortar operations. Schneider Electric is excited to take partners along on this digital transformation to ensure our end users have a seamless buying experience online. 

“The platform is mainly geared towards B2B transactions; however, we have now made it possible for B2C customers to purchase directly from authorised resellers. Through the Schneider Electric Marketplace, this option will be available to the market at launch,” says Guliwe.

She adds that while the Schneider Electric eCommerce marketplace is a new concept in the South African market, it is already active in a few other markets across the globe and has been well-received by resellers and end users.

All about convenience 

“Primarily, it is about convenience. The platform allows customers to place orders anytime, anywhere, without the constraints of traditional business hours. ​It also offers better efficiency as buying can be done across multiple sellers, reducing waiting periods and doing away with the need to drive to different distributors due to stock unavailability,” says Guliwe.

Additionally, buyers can take advantage of online exclusive offers, ​bulk order processing order tracking, account credit purchases (based on seller agreements with buyers)​ cash, card and EFT purchases and ​customer support.

She says that the marketplace allows for a project-based approach, where an electrician or any other service provider can log on and bulk order everything they would require for a specific project. This provides the benefit of ease of use, as well as time savings.

“Ultimately, the vision for the platform is to be able to deliver the products as and when they are needed. From a purchasing perspective, it already ticks the boxes, but from a fulfilment perspective, we are onboarding partners who can ensure that products are delivered within the required time,” she says.

Fulfilment timeframes 

“Currently, we are working with a fulfilment timeframe of about three to five working days, but with some items, particularly the ones that we know are in great demand, we are working towards achieving same-day delivery. This will differentiate our marketplace from just any other stock-listing platform.”

Guliwe notes that through the marketplace, Schneider Electric can also offer personalised journeys to buyers, based on the type of retailer, wholesaler or end user they are. Different types of buyers will experience different journeys as they navigate through tailored product offerings for electricians, panel builders, contractors or end users.

“While we are transitioning to a digital platform and experience, we are not leaving our partners behind. We offer a marketing development fund (MDF) that partners can use for marketing and that now includes an e-commerce portion where they can also transition their business,” says Guliwe.

“Additionally, we offer programmes that can enrich and enhance our partners’ websites and ensure that the content is effectively positioned. As much as Schneider is progressing, we are taking our distributors on the journey with us.”