SA retailer Game launches more advanced online store, because delivery is super important now

Checkers Sixty60 may have started us all off during lockdown but everyone else is gradually catching up — with varying degrees of success. Massmart retailer Game is the latest traditional real-world store to ramp up its online offerings, in a bid to stay competitive.

That means heading to the Game website, the URL of which hasn’t changed at all, to see what’s new. It’s more than just a redesign, too. There are actual tangible changes on hand, but some are a little limited right now.

Make a Game of it

Some of these changes are things that… really should have been there before. The retailer has added order tracking, online returns, and the ability to order for pickup at a physical store. These are not new functions, but it’s nice of Game to join the rest of us. The ability to purchase liquor and clothing online, which wasn’t possible before, has also been added.

The company has made changes to how the site works on mobile. If you’ve previously used it, it used to be a bit of a dog. Andrew Stein, vice president of Game, pointed out that some 70% of the company’s traffic comes from mobile devices. As such, the company has designed a more responsive site to make for a better experience.

There’s also a new internal system coming into being. This improved sourcing logic will allow for “…geo-location of products for faster and more efficient deliveries and near real-time stock availability updates”. In other words, details on which store has which product should be more accurate. You know, in case all you use the website for is making sure it’s worth getting into your car.

If you are making a pickup, it’s worth remembering that the feature is limited to just twenty stores right now. More will be added throughout the year.

All of these changes are part of the brand’s strategy to retain customers, following a recent tech-based revamp of its physical stores. Stein said, “This is a significant step in the transformation of our business through our turnaround strategy and is evidence of the investment that Walmart and Massmart are making in Game”.