Clickatell, a leader in mobile communications and chat commerce, has been selected by leading African retailer Pick n Pay to manage their WhatsApp customer communication channel. Customers can easily access Pick n Pay services by sending “Hi” to +27 60 070 3037. The easy to navigate menu then allows shoppers to choose which action they
As the pandemic dispersed the workforce, necessitating more sophisticated means to connect, collaborate and communicate, digital transformation became a business imperative. Fikile Sibiya, CIO at fintech specialist e4, explains why a roadmap for the future is essential in this transformation, and elaborates on what it should entail. Organisations in diverse industries are transforming their business models
‘Value’, ‘health and nutrition’, ‘snackification’ – driving consumer trends Tiger Brands, South Africa’s largest food producer, has introduced a host of new and relevant innovations to its extensive product portfolio in response to rapidly evolving consumer needs and trends. These innovations target areas becoming critical drivers for consumer buying habits, including value, health and nutrition,
SA consumers can now use their RCS cards to pay for their online purchases from SA’s no.1 online fashion retailer RCS, the consumer finance arm of global bank BNP Paribas, has proudly announced its latest strategic partnership with leading online fashion retailer Superbalist.com. The new partnership, which was made official on 1 November 2021, saw
South African retailers are expected to ring up around R11.3 billion rand in additional sales over the period of November as consumers splash out on Black Friday deals, with general dealers expected to capture a 55% (R6.2 billion) share of the value. That’s according to new research conducted by the Bureau of Market Research on
Recognising the key role that digitisation is playing in the financial lives of more and more of its customers, South Africa’s leading fuel and convenience retailer Engen is prioritising electronic payment solutions at the core of its customer offering. With over 3.4 billion litres of fuel pumped from Engen forecourts in 2020, or approximately 25%
Supermarkets RSA The Group’s core business, Supermarkets RSA, increased sales by 11.6%. It is worthwhile noting this growth was achieved notwithstanding the following factors and their significant impact on the quarter: – The mandated closure of the segment’s LiquorShop business, which due to South African COVID-19 lockdown regulations was not able to trade for 48
Vivo Energy Uganda the company that distributes and markets Shell branded fuels and lubricants, has appointed Johan Grobbelaar to be its new Managing Director. This appointment follows the successful leadership of the company by Gilbert Assi over the past four years, who has been appointed Managing Director of Vivo Energy Guinea. Johan joined the Vivo Energy Group
Further to the announcements released by the Company on 11 June 2021 and 29 July 2021 relating to the resignation of Ms Lebo Ntlha, the Group Financial Director, effective 30 November 2021, and the appointment of Mr Deon Fredericks as Group Financial Director from 1 December 2021, shareholders are advised that in terms of paragraph
From cool couches to top of the line electronics, pressies for the holiday season and pool accessories as summer waves at us, Black Friday (BF) 2021 looks set to be a biggie as shoppers return to malls to take advantage of some serious specials, while post-pandemic ‘professional’ online fundi’s get to grips with exploring and
By Sanjeev Raghubir, Sustainability Manager at the Shoprite Group The much anticipated and recently-released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report presented a concerning summary of the current and future state of the climate. The IPCC report will inform world leaders as they gather in Glasgow for COP26 in November to craft a plan to
Checkers has announced the coming together of two award winning tech innovations, Checkers Sixty60 and the Xtra Savings rewards programme. Thousands of Xtra Savings deals are now available on the Sixty60 app for home delivery nationwide. “Customers have been asking us to offer all of the Xtra Savings deals they love in our stores on
Globally, over 300,000,00 tons of plastic is produced each year with only 10% to 15% recycled. Innovative packaging-free solutions that reduce the total amount of plastic created has become critical in the fight against pollution. Global retail specialist Smollan is focusing on the future of Greentech, and packageless retail as strategic components of the future
Small businesses globally go digital at three-times pre-pandemic levels To shed light on the impact the global health crisis – and ongoing recovery – has had on small businesses globally, Mastercard released Recovery Insights: Small Business Reset. The report revealed that in the Middle East and Africa, lodging small businesses have consistently outperformed larger businesses in 2021
MoData, leading specialists in providing digital solutions for financial services, has partnered with technology pioneers DataVisor to deliver a comprehensive suite of AI-powered fraud management solutions to its customers across Africa. This new partnership will give MoData clients access to DataVisor’s comprehensive fraud and risk management platform, which enhances and accelerates fraud detection, keeping companies
The wholesale platform brings efficient, reliable B2B eCommerce to Kenya, enabling market access for businesses of all sizes Backed by leading global logistics provider DP World (DPWorld.com), DUBUY.com opens a new digital trade corridor for Kenya and the East Africa region; The wholesale platform brings efficient, reliable B2B eCommerce to Kenya, enabling market access for businesses of all
HelloChoice is a proudly South African success story with a vision to modernise traditional agricultural produce trading through its wholesale online marketplace. Over 2,300 agricultural produce buyers and sellers have joined HelloChoice via its website and mobile app, trading over R150 million in the first three years. Specifically designed for South African market conditions, the HelloChoice mobile
The group is presently finalising its interim financial results for the six months ended 2 October 2021 (the Period). These will be announced on the JSE Stock Exchange News Service (SENS) on or about Thursday 25 November 2021. Shareholders are advised that headline earnings per share (HEPS) is likely to be between 30% and 40%
When it comes to customer experience, you need to make a good impression at every point of contact. Get it wrong and your customers may go elsewhere. Consider these statistics from a recent Deloitte Digital survey: 60% of respondents said they “would likely abandon their favourite brand after a bad customer service interaction”, while 66% would
A Q3 consumer survey by retailer, Game, has found that despite 2021 being a challenging year economically, 67% of South African consumers are hoping to find the best possible deals on popular items this month – as retailers launch their plans for Black November. The survey found that groceries and essential items (77%), appliances (63%)
Trusted and rapidly growing enterprise retail software and IT specialist redPanda Software has announced that it has appointed industry veteran Peter Ludi as its business development director. Ludi, who most recently was regional director for unified ecommerce platform Flooid – formerly PCMS – will oversee redPanda Software’s growth as it partners with new retailers in
Annual Safety Day events take place across the Vivo Energy Group. Vivo Energy, the pan-African retailer and marketer of Shell and Engen-branded fuels and lubricants, has held its annual Safety Day across the whole company, reinforcing the importance of Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Quality (HSSEQ) at Vivo Energy. Safety Day is an opportunity for
To ensure all customers enjoy the same quality instore experience, SPAR South Africa’s Eastern Cape retailers each year raise funds to donate wheelchairs to residents in need. As part of these efforts, the retailers run the ‘Wheelchair Wednesday’ community campaign, now in its tenth year. The campaign is traditionally held over four Wednesdays in October
Shoprite created 42 new jobs with the opening of its supermarket at the Flagstaff Square shopping centre in the Eastern Cape. Shoprite Flagstaff Square offers customers a convenient shopping experience with 19 pay points and access to several in-store fresh food departments including a Meat Market, Hot & Cold Foods Deli, Bakery and Fresh Fruit
iVeri has announced that it has completed integration with software and consulting company Synthesis Software Technologies to increase the opportunities available to businesses using software-based Point of Sale (SoftPOS) across Africa and the Middle East. Synthesis became the first Tap on Phone solution provider in Africa when it launched Halo Dot with Nedbank in June 2020. This launch was
It’s official, electronics manufacturer TCL, the global second bestselling LCD TV brand of 2019 and 2020 as per OMDIA data, is entering the South African market as of 3 November 2021. It promises affordable quality and smarter than smart televisions for all South Africans. TCL’s launch into South Africa speaks volumes of the company’s confidence
The Shoprite Group strives to generate long-term sustainable growth for our equity investors through our established food retail business operations across the African continent. Quick links: Financial results: https://bit.ly/3BhdSeT Results presentation: https://bit.ly/3jFgvRV September 2021: https://bit.ly/3nzgxvK Become a shareholder Shoprite Holdings is listed in South Africa on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), with secondary listings on the
To ensure all customers enjoy the same quality instore experience, SPAR South Africa’s Eastern Cape retailers each year raise funds to donate wheelchairs to residents in need. As part of these efforts, the retailers run the ‘Wheelchair Wednesday’ community campaign, now in its tenth year. The campaign is traditionally held over four Wednesdays in October
Clicks Group has reported another resilient performance in the year to August 2021 despite the trading disruption from the KwaZulu-Natal civil unrest and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on consumer shopping behaviour. Operating profit, adjusted for the impact of the civil unrest, increased by 8.2% to exceed R3 billion for the first time, with diluted
Xtra Savings members can now transact using their Xtra Savings cards following a significant update to the Shoprite Group’s Money Market Account. The Money Market Account, which has attracted 530 000 users since it launched just over a year ago, now provides customers with transactional banking functionalities, including sending money and making withdrawals. “The development
The Shoprite Group’s Money Market Account, which previously only enabled customers to deposit funds to pay for utilities and buy groceries, now provides customers with new transactional banking options including sending money and making withdrawals. Money Market Accounts offer banked and unbanked consumers, many of whom are regular customers at the Group’s stores, access to basic transactional banking activities that are specifically aimed at their needs.
Makro and Builders Mini Programs have been launched within the VodaPay Super App. These Mini Programs serve as the cornerstone of the shopping proposition in the VodaPay Super App. This launch follows Massmart’s announcement earlier this year regarding e-commerce as a Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) strategic growth vector. The Mini Programs have been successfully
Nigerian fulfillment platform to open up new markets for small-scale merchants and build out West Africa’s e-commerce operating system Sendbox, the Nigeria-based e-commerce fulfillment platform for merchants in Africa, has today announced the completion of a $1.8 million seed round from investors including 4DX Ventures, Enza Capital, FJLabs and Golden Palm Investments. With participation from
App awarded for bringing world-class online shopping to the people of South Africa The winner of the best consumer mobile device application for 2021 is Takealot. This award, sponsored by Franchise Tech Solutions, is one of 14 app winners announced at the MTN Business App of the Year awards ceremony held virtually late last month.
Tiger Brands Limited has been approved for secondary listing on A2X Markets and its ordinary shares will commence trading on the stock exchange from 26 October 2021. Tiger Brands Limited will retain its primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and its issued share capital will be unaffected by its secondary listing on A2X.
Nestlé held an agripreneurship training workshop for coffee farmers in Mutheka, Nyeri. The workshop aims to help farmers build on entrepreneurship skills, learn about food waste and preservation, investigate price fluctuations and market seasonality, as well as gain trader knowledge on nutrition. At the agripreneurship workshop in Mutheka, coffee farmers learned about potential market links
SPAR International launches a new own brand range across European markets under the label SPAR N°1 Value. This range will provide shoppers with an even wider choice of quality, everyday essentials at great prices. The SPAR N°1 Value range will initially be made available throughout markets in which SPAR operates across Europe, with a view
Checkers was recently named South Africa’s best grocery and liquor store (Checkers LiquorShop) in the 2021/2022 Ask Afrika Orange Index Awards. “It is an honour to be recognised as the best grocery and liquor store in South Africa. We are very proud of this accolade and wish to thank our customers as this would not have
In terms of paragraph 3.59 of the Listings Requirements of the JSE Limited, Famous Brands is delighted to advise shareholders that Ms Busisiwe Mathe has been appointed as an independent Non-executive director to the board of directors of Famous Brands (“the Board”). This appointment will be effective from 20 October 2021. Busisiwe, who holds a B. Com
By: Andre Adendorff, Director Presales at Seidor Africa ERP adoption has accelerated since the 1990s, and with this came the opportunity to focus on particular industries. This development recognised that to drive high performance in the face of increasing complexity and uncertainty, businesses need tools and functionalities that are honed for their specific industry. To
Brands can now deliver immediate value to consumers through chat Clickatell (https://bit.ly/3vcSvd7), a leader in mobile communications and chat commerce, has announced it will unveil new payment capabilities via its Chat Commerce Platform at Money 20/20 Las Vegas, Oct. 24-27. Clickatell helps businesses easily deploy payments in chat channels with low to no execution risk
Food safety is critically important to Woolworths and we take all issues regarding the production of our food extremely seriously. Following routine quality tests, Woolworths is recalling Woolworths branded 100% APPLE JUICE 200 ml cartons (single boxes and six packs) with the best before date of 23, 28 and 29 March 2022. It was identified
With the seismic shifts taking place within retail, as well as the significant impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on customers’ shopping behaviour, the race for tech talent is on with retailers dialing up their investment in ensuring that they are appropriately structured to respond competitively to this changing environment. Taking this a step further, Woolworths
Standard Bank and Pick n Pay customers’ shopping experience has just become even more convenient, easy, and safe, with the launch of Standard Bank’s EasyScan – a new service that enables customers to pay for their shopping using the Standard Bank Mobile Banking app. Standard Bank customers registered on the Banking App can scan
Allowing more entrepreneurs to transact via in-person card payments, simply and securely Payments and software company, Yoco, has partnered with over 700 retail stores nationwide, to allow more merchants access to affordable and efficient electronic card machines and financial tools to start and run their businesses. Entrepreneurs are seeing a growing tapes surrounding product structures
African retailer, Game Stores, is introducing its Price Beat Promise to its month-long Black November promotion for the first time in history – guaranteeing Game shoppers the lowest possible price on all items stocked at Game, between 1 and 30 November. “This is how we are reimagining the popular shopping holiday ‘Black November’ for our customers. Not only are we giving them
Combining steam and refrigeration plant utilities for an optimal outcome Exploring opportunities to streamline energy efficiencies within businesses has become a major focus for South African companies in recent years. A great business case for how this can be done with beneficial outcomes in not only energy, but also cost management while improving operational efficiencies
Vivo Energy Uganda, the company that markets and distributes Shell-branded fuels and products, has today launched a new plastic waste collection initiative for the public, at its Shell service stations. This is part of its environmental sustainability campaign named ‘Taasa Obutonde.’ Plastic pollution is currently one of the biggest environmental concerns due to the increase
NESCAFÉ emerged the winner in the coffee category, as chosen by Kenyan consumers, during the 2021 Kenya Beverage Excellence Awards (KBEA) that took place on 24th September 2021 at Movenpick Hotel, Nairobi. The KBEA are designed to recognize, celebrate, and award excellence and innovation across every category of the Kenya beverage industry. The awards are
On World Coffee Day, SPAR shared some of the diverse coffee solutions implemented in SPAR stores around the globe. SPAR recognises that customers not only expect to access quality coffee while on-the-go but also want a lot of choices. SPAR International has two instore coffee solutions covering bean-to-cup and barista offering, building our retailers’ coffee
