French sports equipment and wear company Le Coq Sportif has partnered with South African-based logistics startup Pargo to reach its customer base across South Africa and offer a convenient way for consumers to pick up their orders via Click & Collect delivery option. Pargo is the leading click-and-collect and returns solution for online and omnichannel businesses.
Lizel Opperman, Marketing Manager at Le Coq Sportif explains that since the launch of the partnership, there has been a visible increase in demand from consumers.
“Our decision to partner with Pargo comes from our commitment to offering our customers delivery options that suit their needs best. We’ve quickly seen our Click & Collect numbers grow once we made the option available, signalling the need and desire our customers had for more alternative delivery methods.”
A challenge that many eCommerce businesses face is last-mile delivery as according to reports over 70% of Sub-saharan Africans live in difficult to service areas with little access to goods and services. Within South Africa consumers are located in various areas such as security estates, large business parks, informal areas, and vast agricultural areas that are hard to reach through traditional delivery methods. With Pargo’s innovative Click & Collect option, consumers will now be able to collect their Le Coq Sportif orders from over 3 000 pickup points in the country.
Derk Hoekert, co-founder of Pargo explains that their Click & Collect offering has increased in use.
“Click & Collect is quickly becoming an essential delivery option for many South Africans. Just last year we saw a tremendous 153% growth in our own Click & Collect orders. 2021 has kicked off with a bang, and thanks to our recent retail partnerships like Le Coq Sportif, we are confident it will be another great year for Pargo.”
This partnership is a showcase of the potential that startups hold in providing an innovative service to big global brands as is the second of its kind for Pargo (see this story). Pargo’s pickup points cover over 87% of South Africa’s postal codes and are conveniently located in popular stores such as Clicks, Lewis, and SPAR as well as local stores that are easily accessible to the public.
Le Coq Sportif customers are now able to select any one of the available Pargo Pickup Points on the sports brand’s checkout page as the delivery destination. This enables customers to collect their orders when it suits their schedule further enhancing the offer of convenience.
The Bafana Bafana kit
As the official sponsor of the new Bafana Bafana kit, Le Coq Sportif and Pargo have also collaborated to develop a specific distribution solution for supporters seeking their very own soccer shirts. This has taken the form of an innovative WhatsApp shop, which customers can message to get their hands on kits delivered to the Pargo Pickup Point of their choice.
