With online sales in Africa on course to top the trillion-rand mark by 2026, the race is on for ecommerce businesses to claim their piece of the pie. Research by Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI) indicates that in the next two years the digital commerce market is expected to reach US$72-billion across South Africa,
By Graham Bradford, Senior Product Manager at Ecentric As retailers grow into mid-market size and beyond, the complexity and cost of manually reconciling payments increases almost exponentially because there are hundreds of thousands, if not more, transactions a day. Most retailers in this segment reconcile their payments with spreadsheets and many can’t expect a view
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
The Human Face of Retail By Peter Ludi, Business Development Executive at redPanda Software There’s widespread acceptance that improving customer experience will go a long way towards attracting and retaining customers, especially at a time when there’s increased competition for valuable consumer spend. Naturally, all eyes turn to technology to remove friction, add convenience, automate,
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
As businesses across the globe work towards making culture and employee wellbeing an integral part of their organisations, the retail industry should consider this when it comes to their retail employees says Serena Ho, head of consumer market at BDO South Africa Inc. Here they discuss the important role of retail employees in powering the
By Sheetal Patel, Retail lead and Junaid Kleinschmidt, Digital Marketing Strategy and Intelligence lead for Accenture, Africa In the span of a year, the landscape of artificial intelligence has undergone a remarkable transformation. Until late 2022, few people outside of cutting-edge artificial intelligence had heard of Large Language Models (LLMs) or Generative AI. Now, it’s
South African shoppers want choice and convenience. Recognising this, retail consumer finance provider, RCS, is offering real, tangible value to its customers. By expanding its partner network, payment options and embracing cutting-edge technology, RCS is not just keeping up; it’s leading the way towards greater financial inclusion in South Africa. Credit extended to healthcare products
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
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
Belva Digital, a marketing technology company based in Kenya has expanded and enhanced its product portfolio through its participation in the Infobip Partner Connect Programme, which has enabled it to widen its customer network. Client background Belva Digital is a marketing technology company based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was founded over a decade ago and
Jumia, the leading e-commerce platform in Africa, has announced an agreement with Starlink, a satellite internet service, to retail the Starlink Residential Kit in Africa. With this partnership, Jumia aims to bridge the digital divide by delivering Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency internet to previously underserved regions of Africa. The agreement will initially cover Nigeria, with plans
Pick n Pay asap! has relaunched its fast-growing on-demand delivery app, and to celebrate, it is offering unlimited free delivery for its customers in October. More and more customers are enjoying shopping with Pick n Pay asap!, which has delivered exponential growth into 2023. The upgrades will give customers a smoother, faster and ‘fresher’ way
The ‘Retail Store of the Future’ is no longer a distant concept. With the integration of cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), digital advancements and data science, it’s already a reality. To be at the forefront of this evolution, the synergy between business and technology is critical. Technology and business should not
Unified Payments (UP), Nigeria’s premier financial technology service provider, has successfully launched its e-commerce gateway services built on the new state of the art payment gateway platform from Compass Plus Technologies. The strategic move further strengthens the 18-year partnership between the two technology titans and has enabled UP to become the first institution in the
Started by 4 friends with the goal of enabling more South Africans to access premium products and technology, Rentoza has become the country’s first pure play subscription model for digital goods and appliances. Their bold mission to democratize and dematerialize ownership of technology devices and appliances has enabled them to secure R 18m in finance
By Clive Roberts, Segment Lead: CPG – Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric Africa is home to one of the world’s fastest growing populations, reaching a projected 2.5 billion people 2050. It is also this demographic advantage translates into a vast consumer base that is youthful, aspirational, and urban-centric. As a result, the demand for diverse
The Argility Technology Group (ATG) – this year celebrating forty-five years of operations and latterly owned by Smollan, has a new CEO. Tanya Long takes over the role from Marko Salic who now moves to the position of Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the Smollan Data & Technology cluster and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for
By Peter Ludi, MD Solutions at redPanda Software In the wake of the rapidly evolving digital landscape, retailers are continuously confronted with a myriad of software solutions. Implementing these systems often requires a considerable investment of resources, frequently resulting in a patchwork of fragmented systems and siloed operations. One can only browse through recent media
Most of us have engaged in eCommerce one way or another and are likely to frequent our tried and tested online providers for years to come. We can navigate B2C eCommerce comfortably and enjoy the ease of finding great products, seamless services, and fast delivery. In fact, the eCommerce user experience (UX) continues to get
Wasoko, the African e-commerce company using innovative technology to transform the informal retail supply chain, has today announced its expansion into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) leveraging its existing ecommerce hub in neighboring Rwanda. With the announcement marking the startup’s second country expansion this year after launching its Zambia operations in May 2023, it
Helping companies deliver excellent customer service has been at the heart of 1Stream since the business was launched 15 years ago. While much has changed over the last decade and a half, the essence of what makes 1Stream Southern Africa’s leading CRM and cloud-based contact centre provider remains the same: a commitment to delivering leading-edge,
As the world’s population continues on its course to reach 10 billion people by 2050, investments in sustainable food retail and storage are urgently needed to ensure we are able to feed the growing number of people on the planet. The pressure is growing, both on energy demand and costs, and on the need to
Leading tech and financial gateway service provider PAYM8, announced the expansion of its e-commerce offering. This comes in response to the South African e-commerce market’s projected growth of 11.89% in the next five years, reaching a market volume of US$9.97 billion, roughly R75 billion, by 2027. As consumers increasingly value the convenience, time savings, and
As of August 2023, Shoprite customers will now be able to purchase non-food items using leading digital credit provider, Mobicred. The fully digitised system will give shoppers access to credit offerings via their Money Market accounts, enabling them to pay off higher ticket items over a period of up to 12 months. Commenting on this
By Gerhard Nortjé, MD of redPanda Software Data has emerged as a vital asset for businesses looking to gain a competitive edge. The ability to leverage customer and operational data has become crucial in shaping the customer experience and driving sales. Data has the potential to revolutionise retail if used effectively. Personalisation It all begins
By Johan du Toit, Strategic Sales Executive for SYSPRO Africa Simply put, consumers must be able to trust the food they buy. Quality control issues can easily and quickly lead to consumer dissatisfaction and negative sentiment towards a brand or product line. They may also lead to a costly product recall, or in the worst-case
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
You’ll be hard pressed surfing news sites without reading about the age of AI and the rise of the bots. While the impact of AI on our lives is debated, the jury is in on AI in contact centres and the verdict is unanimous. AI is transforming contact centres in profoundly positive ways. Here are
By Peter Ludi, MD Solutions at redPanda Software In the wake of the rapidly evolving digital landscape, retailers are continuously confronted with a myriad of software solutions. Implementing these systems often requires a considerable investment of resources, frequently resulting in a patchwork of fragmented systems and siloed operations. One can only browse through recent media
The pandemic years catalysed a shift in the local retail sector, driven by the dramatically accelerated pace of digitisation. In the wake of COVID-19, greater adoption of online shopping was limited only by the fact that South Africa remains a predominantly cash-based economy. But, with the launch of the ‘cash-like’ payment system, Payshap, this picture
With the largest population in Africa, including a sizeable if pressurised middle class, Nigeria is an attractive market for consumer electronic and durables brands. Yet only a handful of companies from the rest of the world have succeeded when they’ve entered this complex but dynamic market. One of the major challenges organisations face as they
(L-R): Daniel Huba, Vice President of Sub-Saharan Africa Market Development for Community Pass at Mastercard; Charles Mudiwa, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of dfcu Bank; and David Gerbrands, Global Head of Agri and Banking Advisory Services and Inclusive Business Ventures at Rabo Partnerships, signing the partnership agreement in Uganda. Through the Farm Pass platform,
Understanding the changing consumer journey is paramount in today’s ever-evolving retail landscape. Retailers must embrace agile and responsive strategies to meet rising customer expectations and seamlessly navigate a vast array of shopping experiences. This is particularly crucial in South Africa, where intermittent power supply often requires shoppers to adjust their habits to ‘follow the power.’
DRUID, an AI-driven conversational leader, has announced its strategic partnership with MoData (Pty) Ltd, an emerging forerunner in AI-powered customer engagement, fintech and data-driven financial applications. This collaboration is poised to blend DRUID’s advanced conversational AI capabilities with MoData’s transformative financial business operational insights, equipping businesses with powerful tools to maximise digital adoption strategies while
Following Massmart’s 100% acquisition by Walmart, the company now has gained improved access to technical capabilities focused on enhancing the customer shopping experience across its Makro, Builders, and Game websites. The latest move in Massmart’s eCommerce strategy has involved shifting the Makro website onto a new micro-services based platform which has delivered new features, improved
The Shoprite Group invites technology students and seasoned Information Technology (IT) professionals to join Africa’s largest retailer by applying for its bursary programme or various available job opportunities. The retailer’s comprehensive bursary programme covers tuition fees and on-campus accommodation, provides a grocery allowance, and guarantees employment upon graduation. Youth studying scarce and sought after skills
The heady days of triple-digit e-commerce growth are over, but the rewards are there for the taking for the savvy e-marketer. Local e-commerce growth is slowing, which was inevitable considering the huge leaps made during and post-COVID, but the sector is still growing and is driving total retail growth both here and abroad. Locally, fast-moving
By: Warren Brett Cluster Executive, SEA Region, Smollan Tanzania African beverage trends are driven by innovation and culture. From the cherished rituals of traditional tea and coffee to the emerging popularity of carbonated soft drinks and fruit juices. Africa’s beverage market is evolving rapidly, reflecting changing consumer preferences and the impact of various socio-economic factors.
Builders has partnered with Standard Bank UCount nationwide, to offer members more when shopping for Do-It-Yourself (DIY), home improvements or building materials – in-store or online. Standard Bank customers can now earn and redeem UCount Rewards when shopping at Builders. The new partnership makes Builders the only DIY category retailer on the UCount program offering
Bolt, the leading on-demand mobility platform in Africa, and its partner SAPIN, property academy, joined forces last year to provide over 50 young people with trips for their youth internship programme. Bolt has since provided SAPIN with over 700 trips to those who had difficulty accessing transportation for their daily commute. For SAPIN, the partnership
The size of a small, informal, or rural business shouldn’t be an obstacle to them attaining the same growth rate as larger, more formal enterprises. In fact, their smaller scale should be an advantage with fewer bureaucratic hurdles and greater flexibility. But in reality, rural businesses and informal traders are often limited by access to
By Quintin van der Linde, Senior New Business Developer at Ecentric Payment Systems Africa is projected to have more than half a billion e-commerce users by 2025. In part, this can be attributed to the growing adoption of alternative payment methods in the wake of the pandemic. With 45% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa
Mike Smollan, Chief Growth Officer Exactly how did we get to July in what feels like a blink of an eye? Pondering on that often-used analogy, I had to check in with Google. To learn that there are 1000 milliseconds in each second, so a blink of an eye takes around 1/3 of a second.
The world of retail has changed. With more and more customers now shopping online, retailers have had to come up with creative ways to bring the physical and virtual worlds together to create seamless, memorable experiences. But with this comes a great deal of complexity. Having a robust tech foundation is no longer a nice
Agrikool, a small agricultural business, is showing exponential growth after securing a deal with the Shoprite Group, delivering fresh produce worth over R3 million to the retailer in just over a year. The Pietermaritzburg-based business solves challenges in the farming value chain, develops small to medium-scale local farmers, and sustains regional food security, by connecting
With foreign exchange shortages plaguing sub-Saharan African economies, Bank One’s Head of Trade, Gerald Ndosi, explains what measures can be taken to overcome US dollar liquidity challenges, promote trade finance, and foster sustainable economic growth in the region International Trade is conducted in the currencies of major economic powers, largely the US dollar, European Union
The V&A Waterfront, Africa’s most visited tourist destination, has joined forces with admyt, the market leading digital parking management platform in South Africa, to leverage its innovative smart parking system for the benefit of visitors, tenants and guests to the precinct. The admyt system uses license plate recognition (LPR) software and smartphone technology to provide
Celebrating 20 years of Africa’s Big 7and festive foodie features The local food and beverage market was abuzz at the twentieth edition of Africa’s Big 7, which wrapped up in Johannesburg at the Gallagher Convention Centre last week, co-located with SAITEX. “Recognising a two decade-long commitment to delivering top quality and reasonably priced, trendy food
The clues to whether businesses are making the right investments now to ensure that they can provide the right experiences across the channels that consumers will come to expect is held in the data from the Wunderman Thompson Future Shopper Report 2023. The future of retail is steadfastly being shaped by digital, as shoppers envision
