In today's digital age, e-commerce platforms have become a critical component of businesses' growth strategies. Takealot.com, South Africa's leading online retailer, is no exception. With its exponential growth in recent years, it is no surprise that many small and medium-sized businesses are seeking to become sellers on the platform. But is it worth it? In this article, we will explore the process of becoming a seller on Takealot.com and the pros and cons of doing so, to help you decide if it is the right move for your business.

The Onboarding Process for Sellers on Takealot.com

To become a seller on Takealot.com, you need to go through an application process, which includes an extensive vetting process to ensure that your business is suitable for the platform. The onboarding process can be broken down into three main steps:

Apply to become a seller on Takealot.com

The first step in the process is to apply to become a seller on the platform. You need to visit the seller portal and fill out the application form, which will ask for details about your business and the products you intend to sell.

Complete an e-learning course

Once you have applied to become a seller, you will need to complete an e-learning course to get up to speed with the back-end processes of Takealot.com. The e-learning course will help you understand how to manage your inventory, fulfill orders, and deal with customer queries.

Onboarding process

After completing the e-learning course, you will be ready to start selling on Takealot.com. There are two ways to sell on the platform – Lead Time Orders and In-Stock Orders.

Types of Orders on Takealot.com

When it comes to selling on Takealot.com, there are two types of orders: Lead Time Orders and In-Stock Orders. Both have their own pros and cons, so it's essential to understand the differences to decide which one is best for your business.

Lead Time Orders

This type of order is where you list a product on Takealot.com and hold the product in your warehouse. You need to ensure that Takealot.com knows exactly how much stock you have so that they can display the correct shipping times to customers. Once a customer places an order, you send the product to Takealot.com, who repackages it and sends it to the customer.

In-Stock Orders

With this type of order, you send a bulk load of inventory to Takealot.com, which they scan and label. When a customer places an order, Takealot.com packages and ships it to the customer. In-Stock orders are generally faster, but there is a higher risk of holding excess inventory.

Pros and Cons of Selling on Takealot.com

Selling on Takealot.com has its pros and cons, and it's essential to weigh them before deciding if it's the right move for your business.

Pros:

Access to a large customer base: With over 2 million customers, Takealot.com is an excellent platform to reach a broad audience.

Reliable payment system: Takealot.com provides a secure payment system that guarantees payment to sellers.

Easy order fulfillment: Takealot.com handles order fulfillment, which saves sellers time and resources.

Cons:

Competition: With so many sellers on the platform, competition can be fierce, making it challenging to stand out.

High commission rates: Takealot.com charges sellers commission fees that can eat into profit margins.

Inventory management: Managing inventory can be challenging, and sellers risk holding excess inventory, which can lead to additional fees.