At Bob, we’re getting rid of the full stops, introducing shopaygo

The Bob name originated from the B.O.B in bidorbuy, South Africa’s original online marketplace, founded back in 1999. In 2022, bidorbuy merged with the logistics software company uAfrica to form Bob Group. For the past couple of years, under the Bob Group name, our individual service brands, Bob Shop (formerly bidorbuy), Bob Pay, Bob Go, and Bob Box, operated with a degree of independence, building their own brand identities.

Now, we are making a bold move by dropping the "Group" name and turning Bob into a true public-facing brand. We are bringing all our services together under the single, unified 'Bob' masterbrand. This unified Bob brand will now cover our entire ecosystem, serving as the central, trusted entry point for South Africans for all online transactions. 

Our dream of becoming a household name is about to take a giant leap forward.

Our big idea: Introducing shopaygo

For too long, the ecommerce experience has been fragmented. It’s a world of full stops - clunky processes, hassles, and delays that force you to jump between different services for shopping, payment, and delivery. We saw this not as a barrier, but as an opportunity to pioneer unmatched convenience. We asked ourselves: What if we could eliminate the stops? 

That question led us to a single, powerful answer: shopaygo.

"Shopaygo" is a new word created by literally removing the full stops from "Shop. Pay. Go.". But it’s more than just a clever word. It is our one-word promise to you. It represents simplicity, ease, and the beauty of uninterrupted flow. It’s a movement, a feeling, a vibe.

The shopaygo concept is the anchor for our "One Bob" identity. We are not four separate businesses. We are one integrated ecosystem where Bob Shop, Bob Pay, Bob Go, and Bob Box work in perfect sync to serve every move you want to make online - each service "shopayboosts" the other, creating a flywheel effect that delivers more value and convenience. When we act as one, we shopaygrow. You see where this goes - an entire dictionary to take us forward.

Bringing it to life: The campaign

To bring this vision to life, we’ve partnered with the incredible creative team at The Odd Number. Together with our brilliant in-house marketing team, they have crafted a campaign that is bold and memorable. Our goal is for "shopaygo" to become more than a tagline; we want it to become "cultural currency" - a word that all South Africans can own.

Our campaign rollout will be a journey, not a one-hit wonder. We launch digitally in November, followed by out-of-home billboards early next year. You’ll even see our Bob Boxes transformed into mini-billboards - up to 300 "shopaygoboxes" lighting up the country.

This is more than a marketing exercise; it’s a rallying cry for all of us at Bob. It’s our chance to proudly tell the world who we are. We are shaping a future where Bob is known and trusted in every household.

Now that’s shopaygo!