Research & development
Small tests. Honest answers.
The Lab runs small, fast experiments on the problems South African merchants actually have. Most experiments stop at the first gate, and that’s the point: a quick “no” is cheaper than a slow one.
How an experiment runsFive parts. No more.
- 01
The question
One problem, written as a question a merchant would ask. If we can’t write it plainly, we don’t understand it yet.
- 02
The bet
What we think the answer is, and why. Written down before we start, so we can’t move the goalposts.
- 03
The smallest test
The least we can build, borrow or fake to find out. A landing page, a spreadsheet, a chat, a prototype.
- 04
One number
The single measure that says yes or no: orders, repeat use, time saved, rand earned.
- 05
The call
Keep going, change course or stop. Stopping is a result too, and we write down why.
Lab rulesHow we keep it honest.
- 01
Merchants first
We start with people who have the problem, not with a technology looking for one.
- 02
Small before big
Nothing gets a team or a brand until it has passed a gate with real people.
- 03
Stop is a result
Most ideas should stop early. We celebrate a clear no.
- 04
Share what we learn
When an experiment gives an answer worth sharing, we publish it.
Out of the labShipped, and in the wild.
- LiveFree CRO auditA 125-point conversion audit for online stores, with a Google speed test, an AI review of every key page and a branded report. Free for any store.Run a free audit
- Next up
More in the lab. We show them when they’re ready.
Where we digSix questions we can’t let go.
- 01AI for commerceWhat if every product page wrote, tested and improved itself?
- 02Checkout & paymentsWhy does paying still lose one shopper in every few?
- 03Retail mediaHow does a local brand buy shelf space on a screen as easily as in a store?
- 04Social & chat commerceWhat does a store look like when it lives inside WhatsApp?
- 05Commerce dataWhat would a small store do with the data only big retailers have?
- 06Township retailHow do we bring spaza shops the tools that chains take for granted?
Got a commerce problem worth a company? We want to hear it.
A few lines is enough: the problem, who has it and why now.