High cash usage drives a need for automated cash management
South African retailers face a complex operating environment, characterised by inefficient manual processes, challenges in managing cash flow, and tight margins. Automated cash management solutions offer a compelling answer to these challenges, enabling retailers to...
What does October hold in store for SMEs?
Eskom’s appeal to Nersa (The National Energy Regulator of South Africa) for a 36% electricity price hike for the 2026 financial year seems a slap in the face for businesses and consumers who were still basking in the glow of last month’s interest rate cuts and the...
Demand forecasting as a service a weapon for retail
Demand forecasting is a well-established and important field in retail, but accuracy and speed are becoming challenges in a fast-changing and ever evolving market. Category managers need advanced support to stay ahead in modern retail. This is according to Linda...
Use Black Friday to set your business up for success
The prevailing economy has seen a seismic shift in consumer behaviour and retailers hoping to cash in on the rapidly approaching shopping holidays will need to take a critical look at their strategies. Zaida Kamish, digital project manager at Incubeta SA Fortunately...
Data key for consumer loyalty as retailers look to AI
As the world transitions into the information age, data-driven insights, automation, and data management are becoming increasingly vital for business survival. For retail businesses in South Africa, whose success depends on maintaining a healthy customer base,...
Gen AI can help ease the burden of consumer decision-making
The South African retail landscape is contending with a range of challenges, such as high unemployment, severe inflation, shrinkflation, and the lingering effects of Covid-19. These pressures have transformed consumer expectations and added layers of complexity to...
Micro merchants embrace digital wallets
Fast-growing adoption of digital supplier payments among micro merchants and informal retailers such as spaza shops is helping to reduce security risks, costs and inefficiencies associated with cash payments right across the value chain. Digital wallets from fintechs...
Redefining retail through store reinvention
It was just four years ago during the pandemic - with consumers restricted to their homes and mall doors tightly shut, that online commerce began its unprecedented rise. This phenomenon left retailers thinking about the role of the actual store moving forward. Today,...
Shift to omnichannel payments drives efficiency, enhances CX
Even as more retailers turn to setting up online storefronts to extend their presence and cater to shoppers looking for convenience, the majority of South Africans still prefer to shop at physical stores, and retailers are looking for a solution that gives them a...
BNPL: risk versus value considerations for merchants
E-commerce merchants can't afford to ignore the advantages of buy now, pay later (BNPL) facilities and alternative credit solutions, but they should choose their BNPL partners with care. This is according to Anine de Kock, head of partnerships at Peach Payments, who...
How retailers can shift from multichannel to omnichannel payments
Retailers need to keep costs under control and reduce complexity in economic conditions that can best be described as uncertain and challenging. By Gary Bowers, product manager and Shaun Shehab, senior sales engineer at Ecentric Yet, despite this, they need to give...
Retailers should prepare for an uptick in consumer spending
South African retailers should get set for a recovery in retail sales between 2024 and 2026, according to a new report conducted on behalf of fintech Capital Connect. The report shows that total real retail sales are forecast to grow by 1.8% in 2024, gradually...