RedPanda Software to distribute Flooid to South Africa
South African enterprise software development RedPanda Software has been appointed by Flooid, the global cloud-based unified commerce platform, to be its go-to-market and distribution partner in South Africa and other markets.
According to a press release sent to the media, the move was the natural evolution of a long software development relationship, spanning more than a decade, between the two retail technology providers, and is timed superbly as research shows most retailers are expecting strong growth this year and beyond, with a focus on technology solutions that enhance both the retailer performance and customer’s experience.
The companies refer to findings from the Online Retail in South Africa 2021 study, released in February this year, which shows that more than a third of retail respondents were expecting growth of more than 60%, with more than a half expecting growth of 20% or more.
A summary of the report explains that “innovative technologies and business models are expected to continue enhancing both retailer performance and customer experience”.
This technology extends across the retail ecosystem and includes payments.
The report quotes Gabriël Swanepoel, Country Manager at Mastercard, Southern Africa: “Consumers want frictionless, convenient checkout regardless of whether they check out online or on mobile. When you consider cart abandonment rates nearing 70%, due to security concerns or often complicated checkout processes, the concept of frictionless quickly moves from a nice idea to a must-have. If friction can be removed, it should be removed.”
Both Flooid and redPanda Software have built their customer bases on software solutions designed specifically for retail, and Business Development Director at redPanda Software, Peter Ludi, says the two businesses have built a strong working cadence making the next phase of their partnership a smooth transition to a higher gear.
“Teams from both businesses know each other exceptionally well, meaning customers, resellers and partners get a seamless service with top tier development support and services, including bespoke development within the Flooid ecosystem,” says Ludi.
This enhanced partnership will provide new and existing Flooid customers with access to a wider range of services that will draw upon redPanda Software’s extensive retail software project delivery and implementation experience, augmenting those already provided to Flooid in development, engineering, and technology.
Flooid, on the other hand, is afforded greater reach in the South African and other key markets through redPanda Software’s local and cultural experience, says Ludi.
“Ultimately, the retail environment is unique and dynamic and retail people understand this. This partnership is designed to expedite value to retailers. This is important because of the pace of innovation and the need for retailers to not only keep up with customer demands but lead with customer and performance innovations.
“Because of our well-versed working cadence, there’s no extended ramp-up. In other words, the partnership accelerates time to value. This is in no small part driven by redPanda Software’s deep understanding of the Flooid ecosystem, with stable technical and leadership teams in both businesses working in sync,” says Ludi.
He adds that South Africa, Africa and other regions, are experiencing rapid changes and advancements in the enterprise retail environment. “Certainly from redPanda Software’s perspective, our augmented partnership with Flooid is poised to support retailers as they give meaning to the endless aisle, as they bridge gaps between e-commerce and their brick-and-mortar stores.
Martyn Osborne, CEO EMEA for Flooid, said “I’m delighted to be building on an already great relationship with redPanda Software that we’ve developed over many years. redPanda Software brings deep expertise in software engineering, project delivery and implementation with local know-how and feet on the ground. We trust the redPanda Software team to consult, develop and implement our solutions in an increasingly important region for our company.”
Gareth Hawkey, Group CEO and co-founder of redPanda Software, said: “We’re excited to be deepening our relationship with Flooid and extending its reach into the South African and other markets. We have deep experience and expertise in the Flooid platform gained over many years and have worked with Flooid for key customers in South Africa and globally for over a decade. This is an exciting progression of our partnership. redPanda places great value in the power of deep, long-term partnerships.”