Managed from the WantItAll office in Bryanston, CompreUS is run by a team in Sao Paulo. Launched four months ago, CompreUS has managed to become self-sustaining and has over 50 000 visitors per month. Given that marketing and advertising plans have not yet rolled out, it is hoped that these statistics will rise when strategic online campaigns are executed in October.
“Brazil is the most exciting emerging market in the world and its scope and size are overwhelming,” says WantItAll founder Terence Murphy, who spearheads the operations and logistics of the Brazil venture. “We had some good relationships with people in Sao Paulo and were so inspired by the magnitude of the Brazilian Internet landscape that we decided to take a chance and try our luck in this territory.”
In comparison to the South African market, an estimated 34% of the Brazilian populations are Internet users, while only 10.5% of South Africans are online.
“We have managed to create a self-sustaining retail portal in Brazil, like WantItAll in South Africa and are very excited about the size and potential of the South American market. Brazil is a powerhouse with 60 million people online and this figure is growing fast,” says Ronnie Apteker, Internet Solutions (IS) founder and Internet entrepreneur, who recently invested in the start-up.
“According to IBOPE/Net Ratings, Brazil is the number one country with regards to social media usage globally. Individuals in Brazil spend more time on social network sites than any other country in the world. They love the Internet,” adds Murphy.
CompreUS has seen a demand for watches, jewellery and computer games. Having successfully launched in South America, the next territories for the WantItAll team are Nigeria, Argentina and Chile, which expect to go live early in 2010.
Visit the South African website www.wantitall.co.za and the Brazilian www.compreus.com.br.
