Tech evolution levels the retail playing field
Consumers in South Africa are under immense pressure with a cascade of bad news resulting in increased prices at the till. Producer Price Inflation continues to rise, with the latest figures showing an increase from August's 4,3% to 5,1% in September: Things are going...
Online retailers can ensure this Black Friday is their biggest yet
Despite very clear economic challenges weighing down the pockets of most South Africans, there are signs that this year's Black Friday could be an incredibly significant one for the country's online retailers. Local appetite for online shopping has, for instance, kept...
Black Friday boom expected for card-linked instalments
As Black Friday approaches, Africa's first card-linked instalment platform, Float, expects more than a 500% increase on the number of transactions processed last year, and predicts average shopper spend will increase by 30% to over R11 000. Last year, Black Friday...
How SMEs can maximise Black Friday for long-term growth
In recent years, South Africa has embraced the global phenomenon of Black Friday. While, for businesses in this country, it's tempting to focus solely on the immediate potential that this flurry of buying activity presents, SMEs should take a much longer-term view of...
The future of SoftPOS
Imagine a world where every smartphone transforms into a payment terminal, where merchants and their customers trade freely in a cashless, frictionless ecosystem. By Jonathan Jacobs, head of product and operations at Halo Dot Welcome to the future of software point of...
Cellular connectivity the unsung hero of SA retail
The events of the past several years have seen the physical in-store retail experience enhanced by the growth and availability of digital solutions. By Tobie van Schalwyk, business unit manager at Duxbury Networking But, even though many South African retailers are...
Retailers should shake things up this Black Friday
What used to be just a single day of frenzied shopping in the USA has evolved into a whole week of retail mayhem here in South Africa. By Amanda Mohr, chief revenue officer, and Justin Marshall, head of CX at Skynamo While that gives us a bit of breathing room, it...
World Savings Day: Protect your profitability with cash management solutions
Cash remains one of the preferred ways to pay in South Africa, accounting for nine out of ten transactions, according to BankservAfrica. Even with the growing selection of digital payment options, many people turn to cash because it's convenient, trusted and easy to...
Tight cash flow management increases retail’s competitive edge
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business and that includes retailers. But in this sector, cash flow management is especially challenging because retailers are dealing with razor-thin margins, seasonal fluctuations, volatile prices, inventory management, aggressive...
The power of the scaffolding software development approach in retail
In recent years, many South African retailers have come to rely on no-code and low-code solutions which ostensibly simplifies the software development process. While the appeal is undeniable, these methods often trap businesses in a web of unoptimised code, vendor...
Three trends enabling digital transformation in retail
The retail industry has undergone significant changes in recent years, witnessing intense digital transformation events that have resulted in in an e-commerce renaissance in South Africa. Look at Zara for example. Its new store in Sandton City allows customers to save...
Embedded payments drive better online retail customer experiences?
With South Africa's online retail space now worth more than R50-billion and growing continuously, the sector is only going to become more competitive. That's true for online retailers of all sizes too. By Joel Bronkowski, country lead: South Africa at Paystack At the...