Many sellers think that the hardest part of selling on Takealot is getting approved.

But once we actually got started, we realized:

Opening a store is just the first step; the real challenges lie in how to select products, list them, and generate sales.

This is especially true for new sellers and factory sellers—if they lack experience with the platform and try to figure things out on their own, they’ll likely waste time and money without seeing any improvement in their store’s performance.

Therefore, Takealot’s store-launch support service is better suited for sellers who want to minimize the costs of trial and error and successfully launch a store from scratch.

I. New sellers with no cross-border experience

The biggest problem for new sellers isn't that they don't want to do it, but that they don't know where to start.

For example:

How to Choose a Product;
How to prepare the materials;
How should the price be set?;
How do I create an image?;
How to list a product;
How should logistics and inventory be managed?;
How to Interpret Store Data.

If you try to figure all this out on your own, you’re likely to take a lot of detours in the beginning.

The value of our operational coaching lies in helping you break down the process clearly—from product evaluation, store onboarding, document preparation, and listing optimization to the subsequent operational workflow—and guiding you through each step one by one.

II. Factory Sellers Who Have Products but Don’t Understand the Platform

Many factory owners are actually well-suited to running Takealot.

This is because the factory has access to supplies, cost advantages, and production capacity, and can also adjust its products based on market feedback.

However, the factory’s shortcomings are also evident:

Lack of familiarity with the platform's rules;
I don't understand online product pages;
Doesn't know how to analyze operational data;
I'm not sure which SKUs are suitable for testing;
I'm not sure how to calculate the profit;
I'm not sure how to move forward once the store is up and running.

We don't recommend that sellers of this type start by experimenting on their own right away.

Given the factory’s product advantages, these can only be converted into orders through proper product selection, pricing, listing, and operations.

III. Sellers Who Have Opened a Store but Have Yet to See Any Progress

Some sellers have already set up their Takealot stores, but haven’t seen any significant results yet.

Frequently asked questions include:

No one is clicking on the product;
Poor page conversion rates;
The prices are not competitive;
Wrong SKU selected;
Logistics costs are too high;
Can't figure out the profit;
No one reviews the store's data.

This situation cannot be resolved by simply continuing to blindly stock the shelves.

You should start by conducting a store assessment:

Which products are worth continuing to optimize;
Which SKUs should be discontinued;
Which parts of the page affect conversion;
Are the prices and profits reasonable?;
How should we adjust our operational pace moving forward?

IV. Sellers who want to open a local store in South Africa but don’t have a team to run it

Setting up a Takealot local store isn't just a matter of registering a company and creating an account.

Someone will need to continue taking responsibility for this going forward:

Product Filtering;
Data compilation;
Product Listing;
Inventory Management;
Price adjustment;
Page Optimization;
Data Review;
New Product Testing.

If the seller doesn’t have a team of their own, or if their team lacks experience in the South African market, it’s safer to seek guidance from a mentor during the initial stages.

This isn't to make things easier, but to avoid running into problems.

V. What Kind of Sellers Shouldn’t Just Try to Figure Things Out on Their Own?

If any of the following apply to you, we recommend that you start with an assessment or a trial run:

This is my first time using Takealot;
No experience in cross-border e-commerce;
I have a source of goods but don't know how to run the business;
I'm not sure if the product is suitable for the South African market;
The store has been open, but we haven't had any orders yet;
I want to open a local store but don't understand the requirements or procedures;
I'm not sure how profits, shipping costs, and platform fees are calculated.

If you try to figure out these issues on your own, one by one, it will be very costly.

concluding remarks

Takealot's store management support service isn't for sellers who “don't want to do any work at all,” but rather for those who want to avoid unnecessary detours and truly get their stores up and running.

This is especially true for new sellers, factory sellers, and traditional foreign trade companies—if you don’t have an experienced team, we don’t recommend trying to figure it out on your own.

The correct path should be:

First, assess the product,
Plan your move-in again,
Then complete the listing,
Finally, we continuously optimize based on the data.

If you're considering opening a Takealot brick-and-mortar store but aren't sure where to start, feel free to contact us for a preliminary assessment.

We can help you determine:

Is the product suitable for Takealot?;
Is it necessary to register a company in South Africa?;
How to prepare the registration documents;
Which SKUs should be prioritized for testing;
How to provide operational support after a store opens.

If you’d like to learn more about Takealot’s store setup and operational support programs, please contact us for a one-on-one assessment.