South African price comparison site Click n Compare is to rebrand to Compare Guru in the wake of its expansion to Kenya and Nigeria over the course of last year.
Disrupt Africa reported in August Click n Compare – which is fully funded by Silvertree Capital – expanded to Kenya and Nigeria, acquiring local competitor Insured.ng in the process.
Sambla, a Scandinavian lender that has presence in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, recently announced a similar move with its recent expansion to Denmark. Sambla offers Danish consumers who wish to borrow money online an easy way to shop for the lowest interest rate, making banks compete for the borrower’s business.
The startup launched in 2013 and is a one-stop portal for consumers looking to source services such as insurance, mobile, broadband, and banking.
As part of this expansion, Click n Compare will this month rebrand to Compare Guru, in what the company calls a strategic move to join the brand’s counterparts in Kenya and Nigeria as well as incorporate an animated character, The Guru, as a mascot.
Compare Guru will fall under the umbrella brand Compare Africa, previously known as CNC Group and now also inclusive of PriceCheck following Silvertree’s acquisition of the company from Naspers late last year.
The company is particularly excited about The Guru, which has been designed to assist users with comparisons in order to help them save on insurance and other products.
“We are hoping that The Guru will become a personality many people will begin to associate with insurance and finance,” said Ryan Marx, chief executive officer (CEO) of Click n Compare. “Anyone will be able to relate to him and his tips and advice.”
The basic functionality of the new Compare Guru website will remain the same as the current version, with additional features to be added soon. The blog will offer news, tips and advice, while users will have the ability to compare cellphone models as well as contract and prepaid packages. The same applies with the broadband category.
Compare Guru will offer users the option of applying for a quote across all types of insurance, with a live quote engine to be launched soon. Users will also be able to compare interest rates across credit cards, savings and cheque accounts, while personal loans, debt consolidation and review are also available at the click of a button. The Lifestyle category will be expanded, while users will also be able to compare online dating, casino and pay-TV services.
The new site will also feature an Ask the Guru page, where users will be able to log any finance-related questions to be answered within 24 hours. Users will also be able to fill out an online financial assessment.
