“Deals on Mxit” Empowers Emerging Market
Mxit, the South African mobile social network, has partnered with in-store mobile transaction platform provider, wiGroup, to bring special offers and discounts to new and existing Mxit users. The newly launched “Deals on Mxit” will introduce users to brands and products that they may not have previously considered, and will offer discounts that range up to 25% on anything from airtime, to selected goods and services.
“Mxit enables brands to start conversations and build relationships with millions of young people”, says Chief Executive Officer, Francois Swart. “Mxit Deals is a compelling platform for brands to promote and deliver great value to our users.”
“Deals on Mxit” will be available on feature phones, Android and BlackBerry devices over a three month pilot phase, and will utilise wiGroup technology. What sets “Deals on Mxit” apart from other competitors is that it is also available to people using feature phones.
wiGroup’s platform, wiPlatform, is a point-of-sale integrated, in-store mobile transaction solution for retailers, brands, agencies, mobile communities and banks. wiPlatform has a national footprint in South Africa with clients that include Pick ‘n Pay, Shoprite Checkers, Col’Cacchio, Hungry Lion and Primi Piatti. wiGroup’s growing portfolio of partners will now also have the added advantage of accessing Mxit’s millions of users.
“Mxit wants to redefine the way people engage with content by bringing relevant and contextual features to a user via a chat screen,” says Swart. For Mxit users, the process couldn’t be simpler: users select the deal/s which they would like to redeem on the “Deals on Mxit” app, a one-time-code is generated and then entered in-store at the point-of-sale to enable the discount.
“We see vouchers as the first step to educate and empower audiences in emerging markets about the relationship between procuring something in the digital realm that is realised in the physical world. It is an important step towards mobile e-commerce for us.”
