Google Africa recently released a report on the impact of the Internet on the South African economy. Conducted by World Wide Worx, a leading market research firm, the report quantifies the size of the internet economy and advocates for stronger technology-focused policies.

Here’s what stood out for me: eCommerce accounts for 2% of South Africa’s economy. That figure includes infrastructure, access, and the consumption of products and services. Also, the eCommerce is growing at a rate of 30% and is expected to accelerate in the coming years.

The insights around small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs), internet adoption, and employment are also very interesting.

“The survey shows that around 410 000 SMEs in South Africa have a website, representing 63% of active, formal SMEs. The full impact of these websites on the economy is placed in perspective by the number of SMEs that would not have survived without one. Approximately 150 000 SMEs in SA would go out of business, were it not for their Web presence. Since SMEs account for some 7.8-million jobs, this means that as many as 1.56-million jobs would be in jeopardy were it not for the Internet,

Arthur Goldstuck, Word Wide Worx MD

That’s a lot of jobs and customers. There’s a bizarre phenomenon where processes are digitized but retain analog features making the given process slow. To what extent, then, can user experience design transform these digital services? Given how prevalent smartphones are, to what extent do these websites use human-centered-design to meet customer needs?

In some ways, this research, surround communications, and publication remind me of my days at Human Rights Watch. The topic has changed, but the processes of publishing knowledge remain the same. Anyway, the following video provides a nice overview of the study.