Searching for information on Zimbabwean products and services is quite a difficult task. In 2019 it should be standard practice that any company worth its salt has an interactive website that is useful. The opposite is true for most Zimbabwean businesses. Most of the websites are predominately informational and not well kept. I found out the hard way as I was trying to find a solar system to buy.
The few companies that have websites the information is not well put. Out of respect I wont mention names, but one of the sites showed the same information for different product offerings. Being a Zimbabwean I am accustomed to the irritation. However, I couldn’t help wonder what effect it would have on a foreigner or someone coming from other markets. It is important to note advances in technology have changed the point of comparison from local to global.
The question is how much business are Zimbabwean companies loosing due to their inability to pay close attention to their digital assets. How many customers end up importing goods, because online they could not find the information they want. As the world gets smaller it is imperative that Zimbabwean marketers, make a deliberate effort to better manage and leverage the immense potential for lead generation and business development that digital assets present. Many purchase decisions start with a Google search. In the first quarter of 2019 Googles Ad revenue grew by 15.3% verse same period last year. This points to the increased importance of search and the web in general as a source of information.
Therefore, it is a competitive lever that Zimbabwean marketers should pay attention to as they plan for 2020.
