South African comparison website Click n Compare, which launched in November 2013, has its sights set on expansion into Nigeria this year after establishing sustainability in its original market.
Click n Compare was founded by Ryan Marx, formerly of e-commerce company Zando, with funding from Silvertree Capital.
The site sources and provides affordable product options to South Africans in a number of categories, including mobile, broadband, banking, insurance, travel and lifestyle. It offers users side-by-side comparisons to enable them to make informed decisions.
“Thus far, these various operations have been working well, with broadband being the most successful sales vertical,” Marx told Disrupt Africa.
“We would love to reach the point of being a “one-stop shop” where viewers can read tips and advice, as well as the latest news, on all our categories and then make an informed decision to purchase their much-needed insurance, cellphone contract, or broadband package.”
It is a strategy that has served the company well until now, with Click n Compare having established a sales department and call centre made up of over 20 agents, as well as a website marketing department.
“While still exuding an atmosphere of a startup company, Click n Compare is well on its way to becoming both profitable and sustainable,” Marx said.
The goal for 2015 is expansion to Nigeria, though Marx said any product launched in the West African country would need a slightly different focus.
“Nigeria is an emerging market with the highest internet penetration on the continent, and with a lack of competition,” he said.
“We aim to focus on more the financial services like insurance and banking, as opposed to our other categories in mobile and broadband.”
Marx believes Click n Compare has become the lead comparison website in South Africa – it has over 100,000 subscribers – mainly due to the fact it sets out to compare multiple products and services as opposed to focusing on just one, as other sites tend to do.
“The website also focuses on those products and services that have become essential assets within modern-day society. Thus, Click n Compare sets out to offer a convenient user-friendly platform where the viewer is able to set themselves up with must-have banking, insurance, mobile, broadband and lifestyle products and services,” he said.
The company makes money through lead generation, and its call centre which closes deals on behalf of the provider. The website also hosts strategically placed advertisements.
