A Makro store owned by Massmart. Image: Massmart Holdings

Massmart-owned retailer Makro has launched its first “native” app, allowing consumers to shop using an app rather than the company’s website.

It’s Makro’s first “fully fledged and standalone shopping app, enabling customers to make purchases of general merchandise, liquor and pantry items”, the retailer said on Wednesday.

The launch of the app forms part of Makro’s “accelerated e-commerce transformation programme in recent months, as part of Massmart’s overarching strategy to become a leading omnichannel (online and store) retailer in South Africa”, it added.

Makro CEO Llewellyn Walters said the app was a “natural progression” for the retailer, which has seen strong growth in e-commerce through its website. The app took eight weeks to develop.

“We were greatly assisted by learnings from previous apps we have built in the Massmart group, and the support of Walmart’s global tech team in Bangalore, India has been key to delivering this accelerated project,” Walters said. Massmart is owned by US-headquartered retail giant Walmart.

“Two standout improvements that we have introduced are the search and discovery functionality, making it easier to find products, and we have also reduced the customer registration process by 70%, through eliminating unnecessary data fields and interactions in the process,” said Jean Ochse, the Massmart executive responsible for the development of mobile apps for the group.

“An example of this is with pantry and liquor items, where we have improved the shopping experience through creating an intuitive way to view our promotions, shop the ranges and make it easier for customers to discover new products.”

The app, which is available for both Android and iOS, provides access to over 120 000 products, a 30% expansion of Makro’s online product range since January, the retailer said. – © 2022 NewsCentral Media