By Ikenna Pius
Hello Pretty launched in 2012 as South Africa’s very own ecommerce platform for creatives to showcase their arts and crafts to millions of buyers around the world. This is a significant milestone – a sign of the south African art industry’s coming of age.
South African art and craft are unique – drawing in millions of people to the galleries and craft markets every year. Those millions of people can now go online to view and buy South African art, crafts and keepsakes. Hello Pretty was revolutionary!
Here is the idea.
Hello Pretty South Africa – How Does It Work?
Hello pretty is an online market where artists and makers of hand crafted items can display their work. Buyers have a large selection of shops to choose from. When buyers click on an item, they are directed to the seller’s shop where they make payment.
The items are shipped directly from the artists/craft maker’s home or workspace. Hence, Hello Pretty was the facilitator – connecting both parties for the transaction. This type of business model is great because buyers can recognize good sellers from whom they have bought items they love; and they can connect with the buyers outside the platform.
Hello Pretty has brought many smiles to faces of both buyers and sellers since establishment in 2012. Now, however, the business is closing down.
So what now?
Similar Websites To Hello Pretty
Hello Pretty is going to leave a vacuum in the hearts of many artists and art lovers, but the online market for south African arts and crafts remains robust. There are many options; the most identical to Hello Pretty being Etsy.
Here is all you need to know about buying on Etsy south Africa, and this article is about How To Sell on Etsy From South Africa.
Ebay is another global force in ecommerce, and although it is not strictly a website for dealing on art and crafts, it does have many artistic items on sale – many of which are made in South Africa.
South Africa also has a large number of galleries which also sell online, selling to local and international buyers. A quick search will show a list of many such galleries to browse from.
Independent artists also thrive in their numbers – many use social media to source for customers.
Artistic Clothing In South Africa
Art meets fashion in South Africa through the thriving print on demand business. This is facilitated by companies who already stock the shirts, trousers, caps, and other clothing items. However these items are plain until artists fill them with designs.
The designs are unique and spectacular; coming from small, independent artists, rather than big name designers, they appeal to the spirit of rebellion that occurs among young people today.
Social media is a great place to find South African designers displaying great designs of different kinds. Their designs are put on shirts, jackets, hoodies, caps, shoes, bags, and so many fashion items.
Some of these designers are simply hobbyists looking to make a few bucks from what they love to do, while others have the intention of becoming owners of big fashion brands.
They often use Printify or Printful. The links below discuss further about them.
Further Reading:
- Printify South Africa – How And Why To Use It
- Printful South Africa – How To Use It
- Print On Demand South Africa
With Hello Pretty winding down its business, Africa needs another home grown ecommerce platform to take its place, and to give priority to African art. Ecommerce is one of the types of technology that Africa needs to accelerate development.
