Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa February/ March 2020 | Page 27

SA Digitalisation Stats
31.18 million
active internet users.
South Africa has
54%
internet penetration (7
percent growth from 2017).
All these advancements may leave you wondering how far
technology will take us in the (not-so-far) future. Homemation
has developed systems that co-ordinate devices in your home
to create personalised experiences. These systems allow you
to have your bedroom shades open with the morning sun,
control your lighting, run a music and home theatre system
or schedule your thermostat to cool (or warm) your space –
all before you arrive home. You don’t even need to be home
to perform various tasks… One can lock doors and arm your
security system from anywhere while having remote access to
security cameras and receiving instant alerts.
“Homeowners ought to keep
maintaining and updating
their home as time progresses
to avoid having the property
become too outdated to
appeal to future buyers.”
Assistants like Amazon’s Alexa have become increasingly
common, fulfilling commands like answering phone calls,
controlling lights and answering questions. Fast-forward to
2025 and the way technology impacts, influences our lives
and the way we use it is most likely going to be dramatically
different to the way we experience it now.
GLOBAL COMPARISON - REVENUE TOP 6
61% of South African
internet users prefer to
complete tasks digitally
whenever possible.
Electronics & Media is currently the
leading product category in South
Africa, accounting for
964.2 million USD
market share, followed by Furniture
& Appliances, which generates
553.7 million USD
in sales.
The South African
Government and the
Financial sector continue to
be the largest player when it
comes to IT spending.
United States
China
United Kingdom
Germany
Japan
South Africa
US$23,577m
US$16,241m
US$4,127m
US$4,113m
US$3,814m
US$322m
Where does South Africa fit in?
With the current challenges South Africa faces regarding load-
shedding, power outages and bouts of economic instability,
it may seem as if these technological advancements are not
our priority, but South Africa strives to keep up. Though these
advancements may not arrive through “next-day-delivery” we
still rank rather high up on the digital scale.
“It is difficult to tell how the housing market might look in
twenty to thirty years’ time. That being said, homeowners ought
to keep maintaining and updating their home as time progresses
to avoid having the property become too outdated to appeal to
future buyers. Real estate practitioners often prove helpful in this
regard. They can let sellers know what needs to be updated to
make the home more marketable to buyers,” says Goslett.
GLOBAL COMPARISON -
HOUSEHOLD PENETRATION
United States
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
South Korea
South Africa
27.5%
25.6%
24.0%
23.2%
22.3%
4.1%
SOURCE Yourfamily, Homemation, Statista, Remax
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020
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