How to do Black Friday better than the e-commerce giants
Black Friday shopping mania has been with Mzansi for over 10 years now, writes James Bayhack, sub-Saharan Africa director at CM.com. Online retail giant Takealot launched its first Black Friday sale in 2011, generating a turnover of R1-million. Seven years later,...
Online retailers set to bolster the checkout experience with click and collect
With Covid-19 almost a thing of the past, customers continue to shop online. Over the past two and a half years, we've seen a radical shift in retail with more merchants migrating online in an effort to simulate the brick-and-mortar store experience in a virtual...
KFC opens high-tech, high-touch restaurant in Pinelands
KFC South Africa has launched a new restaurant that not only ensures a better customer experience, but is also ultra-modern and features some of the latest restaurant technology. “There is no doubt that the restaurant business as we know it has changed and as we move...
Retailers using AI should be aware of privacy and cybercrime issues
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being deployed to help shoppers make better choices, but retailers must be aware of their obligations under personal privacy and cyber crimes laws. By Wendy Tembedza, partner at Webber Wentzel The acceleration of the fourth industrial...
How retailers can retain customers amid a worldwide buying slump
Due to the pandemic, the global economic climate has remained unstable and volatile during the last two years. Global inflation is expected to increase by around 10%, and with supply chain disruptions and economic uncertainty on the rise, consumer purchasing power is...
Boxer signs up with Relex Solutions
Boxer has selected Relex Solutions, provider of unified retail planning solutions, to implement forecasting and replenishment for its stores and distribution centres. As one of South Africa's fastest-growing discounters, Boxer will leverage the Relex solution in more...
How to drive long-term customer retention
The stats speak for themselves. Firstly, there has been a 169% increase in online purchases from new or low-frequency online shoppers. Secondly, more than 80% of consumers who increased their omnichannel digital usage during the pandemic expect to continue with these....
Zapper merchants can now take card payments via mobile phone
Zapper has announced that merchants will now be able to accept tap-on-phone payments. The new functionality gives them access to almost all digital payments without the need for any additional point of sale hardware and irrespective of whether consumers have the...
Bring the omnichannel B2C experience into the B2B retail space
The pandemic caused a rapid acceleration of digital channels across all spaces, and the retail sector is no different. By Andrew Dawson, MD of MACmobile However, while most of the focus has been on the customer-facing side, there is a lot of benefit that could be...
A multi-dimensional retail approach increases wallet share
Covid-19 has shifted the world into the next normal, with new consumer behaviour patterns emerging in response to the changing dynamics of the pandemic. To keep up, South African retailers should embrace a multi-dimensional retail approach that connects the dots...
How to create an immersive digital shopping experience
While there is still a significant disconnect in South Africa between digital-savvy shoppers and those who make purchases in-store, the pandemic and lockdown conditions have narrowed the gap. That does not mean retailers can rest on their laurels when it comes to the...
BNPL drives surge in sales for SA retailers
South Africa’s Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) market is booming – and it’s attracting growing numbers of retailers looking to expand their customer base and drive more sales, as shopper signups for the instalment-based payment mechanism continue to surge. Craig Newborn, CEO...