From bogus discounts to inflated prices driven by AI algorithms, South African e-retailers regularly come under fire from deal-seeking consumers, especially during heightened sales periods like Black Friday and the festive shopping season. But, the process of sourcing, evaluating, and pricing deals is surprisingly human – and fair.
Commenting on this is daily deal platform, OneDayOnly’s director, Laurian Venter, who says that while e-commerce businesses undoubtedly seek to make money on days like Black Friday, they do so with integrity and fairness to the consumer and product provider in mind.
Venter was speaking at a recent OneDayOnly roundtable, “Behind the discount”, aimed at transparently sharing the platform’s in-depth deal creation process.
“There is a rigorous process that supports pricing and discount calculation to ensure that all deals are fair and genuine.
“Behind each deal you see on the site is an immense amount of teamwork, supplier negotiation, and due diligence. Our prices are based on supplier relationships and comprehensive market research, not assumptions,” explains Venter.
Human negotiation and cost comparisons
On any given day, Venter says that OneDayOnly handles dozens of deals across different categories. “We work closely with suppliers, compliance, and training to make sure every deal is accurate and ready for our customers. Each deal has unique considerations, and it's paramount that we make sure the best possible price and experience reach the customer.”
To get this done efficiently and accurately, Venter says OneDayOnly uses a nine-step, manual Cost and Comparison process (C&C). This is at the heart of the local e-retailer’s goal to be the cheapest in South Africa for a specific product, on that particular day (while still making enough to keep its own ‘doors’ open).
“C&C’s are the deal-sourcing framework we use to research what other e-commerce platforms are charging for the same product to make sure our price is competitive,” says Venter.
“All our deals, supplier engagements, and campaign periods are actively monitored,” says Marli Schnetler, Head of Sales at OneDayOnly. “There’s human oversight at every step, from pricing and market shifts to understanding consumer needs. While we use data to inform decisions, it’s ultimately people who ensure that each deal is fair, competitive, and true to what customers expect from us.”
Venter explains that the team looks at multiple sources to see what competitors are charging for the same product. They then calculate an average market retail price based on the research, document it with screenshots, and then calculate whether OneDayOnly can still make enough profit by offering the lowest price in the market. The goal is to offer the best value, usually being the cheapest while still providing genuine savings for the consumer. “When it works out, everyone wins,” says Venter.
But what happens if the numbers don’t stack up?
The C&C process is essential to retaining customer trust, says Venter.
“If we're not the cheapest, customers can lose trust and go to our competitors because they expect us to have the best deal available on the day.”
“Additionally, it could land us in legal hot water. Inflated market retail prices can make advertised discounts seem larger than they are, which can be a huge legal issue which we would always want to avoid,” she continues.
So, for a deal to proceed, Venter says that it needs to be the cheapest in the market on the run date and it must meet OneDayOnly’s minimum margin requirement. “If it doesn’t meet the criteria, the account manager can go back to the supplier to try to negotiate a better hard cost. Otherwise, it doesn’t get loaded.”
Venter adds that there is also an emphasis on supplier relationships and quality. “Product authenticity and quality is also big factor we consider.”
Lastly, Venter explains that OneDayOnly can only control the price until the deal is loaded. “We set our price just before the deal goes live, because the market can shift quickly and we unfortunately can't control prices after that.”
According to OneDayOnly, their process ensures transparency, consistency, and trust - for both customers and our suppliers.
“It’s also why the savings we show are genuine and backed by research, not arbitrary numbers,” concludes Venter.
