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Johannesburg - Like its previous slogan ‘click click, ding dong’, the Kalahari website was swiftly shut down on Thursday night, sealing its merger with former rival takealot.
Since 1998, Kalahari has become synonymous with e-commerce in South Africa, in part thanks to quirky advertising campaigns on television screens and online.
The ‘marriage’ between Kalahari and takealot is intended to beef up the merged unit’s e-commerce scale in South Africa.
READ MORE: Kalahari brand won't exist anymore - takealot CEO
South Africa’s biggest e-commerce website in December 2014 was kalahari.com with 2 277 636 visitors while takealot.com had 1 737 672 visitors, according to Effective Measure data.
READ MORE: What Kalahari's closure means for e-commerce
And as the closure of the Kalahari brand marks an end of an era, below is a look back at some of its highlights over time.
Some of the following videos and timelines were also highlighted in a Kalahari blog post in June 2014.
- In 1998, Kalahari.net launched and it would go on to sell books, VHS titles and music onlline.
- Kalahari’s television advertisements in the early 2000s, featuring traditional Kalahari Khoisan people, also grabbed attention.
- By 2005 Kalahari expanded its product categories to include flowers, travel and event tickets, games and electronics.
- In 2011, kalahari.net changed its web domain to kalahari.com.
- In 2014, kalahari.com revealed a new logo. It also unveiled its short-lived brand ambassador ‘Karl Ahari’
- In 2014, it was announced that takealot and Kalahari planned to merge.
- In January 2015, the Competition Commission approved the merger on condition that no more than 200 jobs are cut. US investment firm Tiger Global Management and media company Naspers each have a 41% stake in the merged unit. Management own the rest.
- April 30 2015, the Kalahari website closes and redirects to takealot.com.
*Fin24 is part of Media24 which is owned by Naspers
