South African farmers need to adopt new approaches and technologies to combat the country’s food security pressures Up to 20 million South Africans experience severe food insecurity, with the volume of food and beverages sold per capita across the country declining by more than 3% in 2023. South African agribusiness is at a crossroads. After
Smollan, a leading global retail specialist representing some of the world’s loved brands, has officially entered into a Capital and Business Alliance Agreement with Impact HD Inc. a prominent Japanese company specializing in sales promotion and data marketing. The alliance aims to leverage the strengths of both companies to create enhanced value and develop innovative
Bob Group’s Ship Logic platform is helping the country’s courier companies overcome faulty address details, failed delivery attempts and poor communication with customers South African ecommerce ecosystem Bob Group is playing a leading role in optimising courier services around the country through its Ship Logic platform, a software solution that enables delivery specialists handling high
Business interruption is the primary concern for the retail and wholesale sector in 2024, according to the Allianz Risk Barometer. It is followed by Natural catastrophes (31%), Cyber incidents (25%), Fire, explosion, and Macroeconomic developments (both with 20%). The report, based on insights from over 3,000 risk management professionals and business leaders, highlights the growing
Payment24, a leading provider of advanced payment, loyalty, and fuel management solutions, is proud to announce the availability of its fuel voucher offering. This innovative product is set to transform how Payment24 partners incentivise customers, loyalty subscribers, internal teams, and even drivers. With seamless integration across a vast network of over 1,000 service stations, these
A new report from Accenture reveals that 95% of South African leaders (vs 83% globally) think that eCommerce is growing faster than they can adapt, and are finding it costly to be where customers are. This shared feeling of falling behind affirms how difficult it is to keep up with the pace of change. Additionally,
Africa’s last-mile delivery market is expected to be worth $2.3 billion (R43 Billion) by 2030. If one considers that the continent will be home to some two billion people by 2050, it becomes clear that this sector will grow exponentially and offer many new business opportunities. Meanwhile, South Africa’s total ecommerce market is on track
By Henry Myburgh, strategic key account manager at Vertiv Africa In the dynamic and ever-changing retail landscape, ongoing transformation is a strategic necessity to cater to the primary reality that ‘the customer is king’ – retailers must be adaptive to change in order to meet new customer demands. The intricate interplay of consumer behaviours, driven
Physical retail businesses remain crucial in the South African landscape, catering to the preferences of many customers. However, as eCommerce continues to surge, these businesses will experience challenges competing with industry giants like Amazon. The trends outlined below are essential considerations for a thriving retail business in an increasingly online world. While they’re not a
The South African retail industry operates in a complex and challenging environment. Economic uncertainty, rising costs, and unpredictable consumer demands have created conditions in which retailers must constantly adapt to survive. Loadshedding further disrupts operations and sales, while compliance with regulations like FICA and KYC (Know Your Customer) increases the administrative burdens for retail businesses.
By Mariette Fouche, Head of Product Development and Solution Design at LoyaltyPlus Few people would dispute the importance of customer loyalty for business success. Companies have realised the need to create tailored solutions that meet the unique requirements of individual clients. This can at least partly be attributed to more efficient data analysis resulting from
Once upon a time (literally like last week!) a shopper popped in for a quick pre-holiday shop. Welcomed by a Bot that offered personalised suggestions based on previous purchases – a hassle free push to make their experience “more than”. Drawn into the clothing section, smart mirrors gave them the option to virtually try on
The Merchants Payments Coalition today welcomed the announcement that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., has invited the CEOs of Visa and Mastercard to testify at a hearing on the lack of competition in the credit card market. “It’s time for the CEOs of Visa and Mastercard to answer for decades of their companies
Two of Africa’s most prominent e-commerce companies, Wasoko and MaxAB, announced today that they have signed preliminary merger terms to join together as a combined entity to drive the transformation of Africa’s informal retail sector. This merger-of-equals will bolster the growth and development of the e-commerce pioneers to establish the most successful digital retail platform
It doesn’t matter whether a company is a small to medium-sized enterprise or a large corporation, or where it’s based, we are all now operating in a global economy. Irrespective of the size of an enterprise, its location or what its product offering is, with the right payment and transaction mechanisms, it can compete equally
In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, the concept of consumer consent has taken centre stage for companies. Gone are the days when consent was assumed; today, the control is firmly in the hands of the consumer. For those companies who handle consumer data, consent has to be a priority. While consumers want the services they can
By Mark Wilson, CEO, SYSPRO EMEA & APAC The manufacturing industry is a tough industry, vulnerable to impacts from the economy, geo-political events such as conflict and pandemics, and other stresses that impact the global and local supply chains and markets. Manufacturers constantly need to seek out a competitive advantage to stay at the forefront
DP World has extended its long-standing partnership with leading pan-African bank, Standard Bank, by concluding a US$365.1 million facility agreement to support its logistics and market access expansion across the sub-Saharan (SSA) region. The facility offers DP World’s SSA logistics and market access businesses access to a multi-product, multi-jurisdiction, and multi-currency facility. This solution has
As e-commerce grows globally with online shopper numbers expected to continue to increase by 18 percent annually in Africa, a report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) projects that such growth could be higher if we invest in the women entrepreneurs on e-commerce platforms. The industry presents South Africa with a clear opportunity for women
By Nevo Hadas, Partner at DYDX Smartfill Packaging costs can contribute significantly to the overall price of products and services, with estimates suggesting that it can account for up to 40% of the total cost, although some products may see as low as 10%. However, groundbreaking experiments conducted in Tembisa by retailing services powerhouses Smollan
Have you ever heard the saying: “Good customer service costs less than bad customer service”? This is particularly true today because modern customers aren’t afraid to share a negative experience and they have plenty of options when looking for places to do so. Here’s where the right ERP solution can help. When retailers deploy an
As one of the top ten mining countries in the world, South Africa’s economy relies heavily on this industry as well as those closely related to it, such as construction. Yet this also makes these industries attractive targets for cyber criminals. The mining industry is among the most at-risk industries for fraud and in some
Spur Corporation is to acquire a 60% stake in the Doppio Group, owners of speciality restaurant brands Doppio Zero, Piza e Vino and Modern Tailors with a portfolio of 37 franchised and company-owned restaurants as well as a bakery and central supply business. The business is being acquired from founders Paul Christie and Miki Milovanovic
Last week, Massmart, together with Retail Capital, a division of Tyme Bank, hosted a Business Funding Information session for its Marketplace seller base. The webinar provided these small business owners with key insights about the funding options available to them. The partnership initially began in 2021 and has, since inception, provided significant funding to enable
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