Promotions & Merchandising Manager - Cross Border

Takealot is searching for a dynamic Promotions and Merchandising Manager to spearhead their cross-border retail strategy. As South Africa’s premier e-commerce platform, the company is looking for a proactive professional who can navigate the complexities of international trade to drive Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and enhance the customer experience on the platform.

This role sits at the intersection of data analysis, strategic sourcing, and collaborative execution. You will be responsible for the end-to-end promotional lifecycle for cross-border goods, ensuring that international inventory is not only sourced effectively but positioned to maximise sales during peak seasons and everyday shopping cycles.

About the role

Your primary mandate is to take ownership of the cross-border merchandising calendar. This requires a deep understanding of seasonal trends and a sharp eye for identifying products that will resonate with local consumers. You won't just be selecting items; you will be acting as a commercial strategist, ensuring that every deal meets strict criteria for margin contribution, product quality, and regulatory compliance.

Success in this position depends on your ability to work across departments. You will bridge the gap between sales, marketing, and operations, ensuring that the platform’s front-store placements are optimised for conversion. Whether you are coordinating with the trade optimisation team to test new landing pages or working with operations to manage the unique lead-time requirements of international logistics, you must be a skilled communicator who can turn complex data into actionable retail insights.

• **Strategic Planning:** Develop and manage a comprehensive promotional calendar that aligns with GMV targets and seasonal peaks.
• **Deal Sourcing & Negotiation:** Build a robust pipeline of deals from international sellers and aggregators. This involves negotiating rebates, pricing, and sell-through bonuses within existing frameworks.
• **Performance Monitoring:** Utilise platform data—including conversion rates, search trends, and pageviews—to evaluate deal effectiveness and refine merchandising positioning.
• **Operational Alignment:** Ensure that cross-border products are correctly categorised and represented on the platform, while coordinating with operations to ensure stock readiness.
• **Collaborative Innovation:** Partner with marketing teams to create bespoke promotional campaigns and work with the sales department to identify new opportunities for growth.

What they're looking for

To thrive in this fast-paced environment, you should bring a blend of commercial acumen and analytical rigour. Takealot values candidates who are comfortable making data-driven decisions and who possess the resilience to succeed in a hyper-growth setting.

• **Experience:** A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or Commerce, paired with at least 2–3 years of experience in e-commerce, retail, or sales environments.
• **Analytical Skills:** You must be highly proficient in data analysis and comfortable using dashboards to track performance metrics and identify growth levers.
• **Industry Insight:** Familiarity with cross-border trade dynamics, including international seller management and lead-time fulfilment, is essential.
• **Soft Skills:** Strong negotiation abilities, excellent attention to detail, and the capacity to work independently while contributing to a cross-functional team.

As a high-growth e-commerce environment, roles of this nature within the South African digital retail sector typically offer competitive packages, often including performance-based incentives linked to GMV growth. Professionals in this field frequently progress into senior category management or broader commercial leadership positions. Candidates should note that Takealot is committed to transformation, with preference given to applicants from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Business, Marketing, Commerce, or similar).
• 2–3 years experience in a sales and marketing-related role and/or ecommerce.
• Strong analytical capability — comfortable working with data, dashboards, and performance metrics to drive decisions.
• Data-savvy — proficient in spreadsheet analysis and able to translate data into merchandising actions.
• Proven ability to work independently and take ownership of initiatives.
• Strong collaboration skills — able to work effectively across sales, marketing, and operations teams.
• Experience in ecommerce (marketplace, retail, or platform environment).
• Familiarity with Cross Border trade dynamics — lead-time fulfilment, international sellers, and unbranded/value assortments.
• Exposure to aggregator or multi-seller deal sourcing.
• Commercial acumen — understands margin, pricing mechanics, and the levers that drive GMV.
• Attention to detail — ensures deal quality, compliance, and positioning are consistently high.
• Adaptability — thrives in a fast-paced, evolving business unit environment.