TDMC Named Google Premier Partner For Third Consecutive Year

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March 1, 2024

TDMC Named Google Premier Partner For Third Consecutive Year

The Digital Media Collective (TDMC) is thrilled to announce that it has been named a Google Premier Partner across Southern Africa for the third consecutive year.

This prestigious accreditation highlights TDMC’s commitment to excellence and industry-leading expertise and underscores the premise that powerful results and deep knowledge are not exclusive to large network agencies.

‘We are incredibly proud to be recognised as a Google Premier Partner for the third year running,’ said TDMC CEO and founder, Cheryl Ingram. ‘This distinction solidifies our position as a trusted partner, delivering superior results for our clients. We look forward to continuing to push boundaries and achieving even greater success in 2024.’

Being awarded Premier Partner Status puts TDMC in the top 3% of Google Partner participants in Southern Africa and signals their leading expertise in Google Ads, as well as their ability to forge new client relationships and support their clients’ growth. The status means they are listed on the Google Partners directory and also receive exclusive benefits that promote client growth and success with Google Ads.

‘E-commerce and performance marketing are continually changing and evolving. We are fortunate to have some of the most curious minds in the industry at TDMC, and I believe that this digitally-native age group gives us a game-changing advantage, as recognised by Google,’ said Ingram.

TDMC
https://tdmc.co.za/

Carling Black Label’s Latest Campaign Inspired By A Challenge On X

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Modern Marketing

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March 1, 2024

Carling Black Labels Latest Campaign Inspired By A Challenge On X — Sipho Muchindu.

Carling Black Label is embarking on a hero’s journey to affirm its status as the ‘World’s Most Awarded Beer,’ sparked by a tweet from @Sipho_Says.

Responding to Sipho Muchindu’s query about Carling Black Label’s accolades as Africa’s most awarded beer and whether or not it is also the most awarded in the world, the brand has initiated a fact-finding mission, sending Muchindu on an expedition to unveil the truth.

Accompanied by a team including a photographer and videographer, Muchindu will document his discoveries as he traverses various locations, uncovering the prestigious beer accolades that adorn Carling Black Label. The tweet that ignited it all can be found here.

‘We’re thrilled by Muchindu’s curiosity and the opportunity it presents to showcase Carling Black Label’s legacy of brewing excellence,’ said Carling Black Label Marketing Manager, Candice van den Bosch. ‘As ‘Africa’s most awarded beer,’ we hope to prove that we can also command this title on a global scale.’

Reflecting on Muchindu’s role in the campaign, van den Bosch remarks, ‘Muchindu’s passion for going on a fact-finding mission and uncovering the truth aligns perfectly with our brand narrative of Effort, Achievement and Reward. We know that it won’t be easy and that it will take hard work but we’re confident that Muchindu will emerge victorious and reward himself with an ice-cold Carling Black Label at the end of it.’

With 54 awards and counting spanning from 1990 to 2023, Carling Black Label’s trophy cabinet stands as a testament to its unparalleled success. As Muchindu embarks on his mission, consumers are encouraged to follow the hashtag #MostAwardedBeer on social media to stay updated on his journey.

While the specific locations Muchindu will visit remain a mystery, consumers can anticipate an engaging and enlightening voyage as he delves into the world of brewing excellence.

CARLING BLACK LABEL
www.carlingblacklabel.co.za

Rogerwilco Adds Ergon’s Neurons To Its Martech Partnership Ecosystem

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Modern Marketing

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March 1, 2024

Rogerwilco Adds Ergons Neurons To Its Martech Partnership Ecosystem

Rogerwilco has added a cutting-edge AI-based predictive neuroscience tool to its suite of services to guarantee the biggest bang for advertising design buck. This innovative product, called Neurons, resold through a partnership with Ergon Consulting, marks a significant advancement in the field of digital marketing and creative asset optimisation.

Neurons is an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that predicts how audiences will respond to visual stimuli by analysing focus, cognitive demand, clarity and engagement. By testing creative assets before they are launched, Rogerwilco can now predict how these assets will resonate with target audiences. This predictive capability allows the agency to select the most effective advertising imagery for campaigns, significantly reducing the need for traditional, budget-heavy test-and-learn A/B campaigns.

‘Integrating Neurons into our workflow signifies a giant leap forward for Rogerwilco and our clients,’ says Charlie Stewart, CEO of Rogerwilco. ‘By leveraging this technology, we can now ensure that our clients’ media budgets are utilised more efficiently, greatly enhancing the effectiveness of their campaigns.’

With the average person encountering between 4000 to 10,000 adverts daily, the challenge is capturing attention, and ensuring memorability. About 90% of decision-making occurs subconsciously, influenced by shortcuts the brain develops over time. Neurons excels in predicting these subconscious responses, enabling marketers to design more effective campaigns.

Backed by over two decades of neuroscience research, the company boasts one of the world’s largest neuroscience databases, including data from over 170,000 individuals. This rich database provides deep insights into brain responses, eye tracking, behavioural patterns, and feedback.

Kevin Skillicorn, COO of Ergon, highlighted the power of the AI tool: ‘With approximately 95% accuracy in predicting consumer responses, Neurons offers unparalleled insights into subconscious decision-making. This enables the optimisation of creative assets in ways previously unimaginable, making campaigns not only visible but memorable.’

ROGERWILCO
www.rogerwilco.co.za

Lessons We Can learn From Prime’s Marketing Mistakes And Collapse

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Modern Marketing

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March 1, 2024

Lessons We Can learn From Primes Marketing Mistakes And Collapse — Mathabo Sekhonyana.

Mathabo Sekhonyana says energy drink, Prime, has officially lost its sizzle. Launched in early 2022 by YouTube personalities Logan Paul and KSI, the hydration drink was an instant hit, but given the news of its sudden collapse, social media is having a field day.

The brand had two marketing problems right from the get-go: positioning and hype, neither of which it could live up to. It sold itself at a ridiculous cost to create buzz and status, only to cheapen its image not long after.

Locally, when Checkers reduced the price of the drink (more than once) it completely devalued the brand in the eyes of the consumer. The ‘hype’ around the drink just wasn’t sustainable. It had no legs to begin with because the marketing team lacked any real strategy.

From a local and cultural perspective, it appears that the promotional roll-out of the drink here in SA was done half-heartedly. For any brand launching in a foreign country, there is a lot to contend with. In South Africa specifically where pricing plays a key role, hype and ‘status’ orientated marketing only works if you’ve tapped into the local culture’s core values. This is where Prime missed the boat, dismally.

Four Key Learnings From The Prime Collapse:

A story that resonates – marketing 101 is to find the story. While the entrepreneurial journey and enthusiasm of the two YouTubers are admirable, they didn’t quite land with our local audience.

Plan beyond the hype: creating that initial social media hype and PR around the launch of a new product is a sure way to create interest in a brand. But what’s the strategy after the hype dies down? In Prime’s case, it didn’t have one, so it lowered its asking price. As we know, this didn’t turn out so well.

Understand your audience and know your competition because the drinks space is extremely competitive. This where is where consumer insights are valuable. Did Prime have a solid grip on what SA consumers want, need and value? Did they have enough market research to know that they could confidently stand up against already established local energy drinks like Powerade® and Energade®?

Authenticity: the cornerstone of good marketing is creating a brand with integrity. If you can do this, authenticity naturally follows. This is where Prime really let us down. They came in with a bang, told us one thing, and then changed their positioning.

Mathabo Sekhonyana

The Benefits Of Aligning Your Team With Your Business Objectives

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Modern Marketing

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March 1, 2024

The Benefits Of Aligning Your Team With Your Business Objectives

The culture of yesteryear was to keep a business’ management team and the rest of the operation’s employees separate. Important information, like communicating company performance and future objectives, were often kept hidden in boardrooms and not shared with the greater worker base. But things have quickly changed, with business leaders feeling more and more comfortable in sharing their goals and visions, largely because they now see the value in full business alignment.

‘Sharing your business objectives with your team is a crucial aspect of success,’ explained Rogan Jansen, co-founder and creative director at DashDigital. ‘Whether you’re running a multinational brand or a small design studio, it’s paramount that your team knows what you as a business are working towards because ultimately, this will help them better understand their role in contributing to this success.’

Team Motivation

Understanding their place in the bigger picture is also highly motivating for employees. There is great power in uniting your team behind a shared vision. This level of empowerment helps employees feel more invested in their work, which in turn leads to increased job satisfaction and engagement. And as we all know, driven, connected and collaborative employees are the best recipe for boosting productivity and achieving those all-important business goals.

‘Motivation by instilling a sense of unity is a powerful tool and we do this by aligning with a set of values that we hold each other to. Things like do what you say you’re going to do, prioritise differing opinions and find new ways to learn and grow are just a few of the values we align with,’ said Jansen.

‘But this can quickly fall flat if you don’t trust your team with your vision and give them the correct tools to make it happen. We see collaboration and ownership as the cornerstones to our thriving team culture. And this is something we work on consistently. Great unified teams aren’t created overnight, nor do they stay unified forever, without everyone involved putting in the work.’

Clarity Of Purpose

Just like great teams aren’t built in weeks, full business alignment doesn’t happen with the click of a finger either. When it comes to communicating your goals with your employees, it needs to begin when they enter the business and continue throughout their stay on your team.

‘Clarity on business goals and objectives isn’t something that should be said once like a tick box exercise,’ said Jansen. ‘Communication of this kind should be built into your company culture, so that team members can use these goals to help guide them when making big or hard decisions, particularly in times of uncertainty and ambiguity. I’ve seen how clarity of purpose improves a team member’s ability to execute, their ability to bravely change direction and truly learn to love what they do.’

Dangers Of Misalignment

As with anything in life, no business, no strategy and no team is perfect. So, it isn’t uncommon for misalignment to happen. Whether this is as a result of a misunderstanding of business objectives, goals that shift too quickly or don’t make sense or if it’s as a result of an employee simply checking out, misalignment can create a variety of issues for a business.

‘Particularly in a small business like mine, misalignment can make a noticeable negative impact,’ said Jansen. ‘From disruption in projects to lack of accountability, low morale and a negative impact on performance, not being on the same page as a team can be disastrous.’
Misalignment is something that a business should seek to nip in the bud as soon as humanly possible. And Jansen recommended a refresh and reanalysis of the business’ shared vision, working to ensure that the common purpose is strong, that your culture is indeed collaborative and that everyone on the team feels involved in setting and reviewing goals.

‘But it’s not enough to just focus on goals, it’s important for businesses to explain and review their expectations of their teams together with their team members. And even more importantly, it’s critical that the business creates a provision for regular and constructive feedback and if someone isn’t feeling connected, they know they have the opportunity to be coached or mentored, and most importantly supported,’ concluded Jansen.

DASHDIGITAL STUDIO
https://dashdigital.studio/

AAXO ROAR Awards Honour Outstanding Achievements In The Exhibition Industry

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Modern Marketing

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March 1, 2024

AAXO ROAR Awards Honour Outstanding Achievements In The Exhibition Industry

The Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) hosted its highly anticipated ROAR Awards ceremony on 29 February 2024 at presenting venue sponsor Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, honouring outstanding achievements in the exhibition industry.

The event brought together industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders to celebrate excellence and recognise the remarkable contributions made by individuals and organisations in the field.

The ROAR Awards, now in its 5th edition, continues to serve as a prestigious platform that acknowledges excellence, innovation and professionalism within the African exhibition industry. This year’s awards saw an unprecedented level of participation and competition, highlighting the industry’s resilience and commitment to delivering exceptional experiences despite challenging times.

After careful consideration by an esteemed panel of judges, including Irene Costa, Lia Marus, Sello Ramasepele, Antonio Brito, Jennifer Potter and Martha Geyser, the winners across various categories were announced, showcasing excellence in different aspects of exhibition management, design, marketing and service delivery.

Among the highlights of the evening were the following award categories and winners:

Best Trade Exhibition Under 6000sqm

Certificate of Excellence in Marketing and PR went to Propak Cape by Specialised Exhibitions, Certificate of Excellence in Operations went to Angola Oil and Power by Energy Capital and Power and the category award winner was Securex by Specialised Exhibitions.

Best Trade Exhibition Over 6000sqm

Certificate of Excellence went to Big 5 Construct Southern Africa by dmg events and the award went to Enlit Africa by VUKA Group.

Best Consumer Exhibition Over 6000sqm

Comic Con Africa by Mogull Media.

Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition Under 6000sqm

Certificate of Excellence went to FAME Week Africa by RX Africa and the award went to Decorex Cape Town by RX Africa.

Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition Over 6000sqm

Certificate of Excellence went to Rand Show by Dogan and the award went to Decorex Johannesburg by RX Africa.

Exhibition Stand of the Year

Certificate of Excellence awarded to House of Task by House of Task and the Best Stand Build was awarded to Console Connect by Scan Display.

Outstanding Contribution to the Industry

– Tiisetso Tau, Managing Director of Synergy Business Events.
– Devi Paulsen-Abbott, Chairperson of Association of African Exhibition Organisers and CEO of Energy Capital and Power.
– Justin Hawes, Managing Director at Scan Display.
– Projeni Pather, immediate past-Chair of Association of African Exhibition Organisers and Managing Director of Exposure Marketing.

Service Supplier of the Year

Certificate of Excellence went to Expo Guys and the winner for best supplier was GL Events.

Best Social Media Campaign

Mogull Media for Comic Con Africa.

Best SA Launch Event

Mogull Media by Comic Con Africa.

Best Digital Campaign

FAME Week Africa by RX Africa.

Best PR Campaign

RX Africa PR Team – Decorex.

Best Venue

Gallagher Convention Centre.

Most Promising Rising Star/Young Professional

Boitumelo Pooe, Scan Display.

‘The ROAR Awards not only recognise excellence but also inspire industry professionals to continuously innovate and elevate standards within the exhibition sector. As the industry evolves, these awards serve as a benchmark for excellence and a testament to the collective dedication, resilience and talent within the African exhibition community. Congratulations to the winners who have not only excelled but have become beacons of inspiration, shaping the narrative of excellence in the African exhibition community,’ said Devi Paulsen-Abbott, Chairperson of AAXO.

AAXO ROAR AWARDS
www.aaxo.co.za

Escalating Unemployment Rate Poses A Direct Threat To The Advertising And Communications Industry

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Modern Marketing

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February 29, 2024

Escalating Unemployment Rate Poses A Direct Threat To The Advertising And Communications Industry

According to Serufe, Statistics South Africa’s report reveals a rise in the official jobless rate to 32.1% in the fourth quarter, which underscores a grim reality: the economy is faltering, and with it, the livelihoods of countless South Africans. This figure, surpassing even the expectations of economists, paints a dire picture of the challenges facing our workforce.

The economy’s sluggish growth has taken a toll on various sectors, exacerbating the unemployment crisis. Highlighted statistics for the quarter include:

• The community and social services sector lost 171,000 jobs.
• Construction lost 36,000 jobs.
• The agriculture sector lost 35,000 jobs.
• The finance industry gained 128,000 jobs.
• The mining industry added 37,000 jobs.

The escalating unemployment rate poses a direct threat to the advertising and communications industry itself. As businesses across sectors tighten their belts and trim their budgets in response to economic uncertainty, advertising expenditures are often among the first to be slashed. With fewer resources allocated towards marketing initiatives, agencies face a daunting landscape of dwindling client budgets and shrinking project pipelines. Moreover, a shrinking consumer base, driven by widespread job losses, limits the reach and effectiveness of advertising campaigns. As such, the challenges posed by unemployment extend beyond mere economic hardship, permeating the fabric of our industry and necessitating innovative strategies to navigate the turbulent waters ahead.

Statistics SA projects a promising trajectory for the digital advertising market, anticipating a growth rate of 6.02% between 2024 and 2028, culminating in a market volume of R1.74 billion by 2028. Similarly, the broader advertising market is forecasted to expand by 1.54% during the same period, reaching a market volume of R50.6 billion by 2028. These figures offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise challenging economic landscape.

Regional disparities in job demand further highlight the nuanced nature of employment opportunities within the industry. While Gauteng has witnessed consistent growth, other regions such as the Eastern Cape have experienced declines in demand for marketing professionals. The Western Cape, despite initial growth, has encountered setbacks since August, illustrating the volatile nature of market conditions across the country.

Amidst these fluctuations, certain roles emerge as particularly sought-after, offering pathways to employment for job seekers. LinkedIn data identifies the position of ‘Digital Marketing Specialist’ as one of the top 10 most in-demand jobs globally, boasting an impressive 860,000 job openings. This underscores the pivotal role of digital marketing in modern brand strategies and presents tangible opportunities for employment in a rapidly evolving landscape.

However, the industry’s growth potential is tempered by various challenges, chief among them being the overarching issue of unemployment plaguing the nation. Economic downturns often result in reduced advertising budgets or a slowdown in advert creation, impacting job availability within the sector. Furthermore, the dominance of major international holding companies poses barriers to entry for smaller agencies, exacerbating the unemployment crisis.

Moreover, the industry’s limited transformation and lack of diversity exacerbate the unemployment challenge, perpetuating inequalities within the workforce. Despite initiatives aimed at fostering inclusivity, progress remains slow, hindering the industry’s ability to effectively address unemployment at a systemic level.

SERUFE
www.serufe.com

Game Sends Koo Baked Beans Can To Space For Leap Day Campaign

By

Meggan McCarthy, Modern Marketing

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February 28, 2024

Game Sends Koo Baked Beans Can To Space For Leap Day Campaign

As part of its 2024 Leap Day campaign, Game is sending an iconic South African staple, Koo Baked Beans, to space to celebrate Game’s Leap Day weekend, happening 29 February to 3 March.

Game will be the first local retailer to do this, once again making history. The product will be launched from Game’s Potchefstroom store using a custom weather balloon, ensuring the launch and trip are eco-friendly. Once the product has reached a certain height, it will come back down, ensuring no damage and remnants are left behind. The whole trip will be filmed and monitored, and has been meticulously planned to ensure safety is maintained
at all times.

‘Koo baked beans are unquestionably one of our customers’ most favourite products, across the country. The sales of essential groceries and pantry items continues to increase, as our shoppers focus on stocking their pantries, feeding their families and treating themselves in the most cost effective way possible. This is what inspired us to use an essential product for this exciting activation,’ explained Michelle Kemp, External Communications Manager
for Game.

Those wanting to see the footage of Game’s historic launch can access it on Game’s social media channels, and here.

GAME
https://www.game.co.za/

Grid Worldwide Delivers New Showmax Rebrand

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Modern Marketing

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February 28, 2024

In a bold move to revolutionise streaming in Africa, MultiChoice has launched the new Showmax. Grid Worldwide has worked with MultiChoice over the past 18 months to deliver a Showmax product that is stronger at every touch point.

‘Brand elevation is about curating an end-to-end solution that caters to customer needs, improves the user journey, enhances brand status, and ultimately builds business equity in a way that is meaningful and impactful,’ said Xavier Marot, General Manager at Grid and agency lead for the MultiChoice account.

The rebrand of Showmax is holistic in every sense and tailored for Africa in functionality and experience. The multi-million rand investment into the content offering, new products such as Premier League in your pocket, competitive price points, and strategic partnerships are a testament to the group’s ambition of scaling rapidly across the continent.

Showmax’s utilisation of best-in-class streaming technology has not only widened the product offering but compelled the brand update to be considered from a digital-first perspective. Grid integrated heavily into the streaming platform, ensuring that every element of the user interface enhanced the overall brand experience whether on mobile, laptop or television. In addition, brand applications were reviewed for predominantly mobile users, as 60% of the African population access the internet via their mobile devices.

As a brand that seeks to put Africa first, the new Showmax colour palette intentionally pays homage to the African horizon. Far more than just colour consideration, the vibrant rebrand provides category distinction, showcases brand tone, and revitalises a streaming service that is not only world-class, but fit for Africa. Ensuring it resonated with current consumers, testing of the revitalised brand also revealed that 80% of Showmax customers preferred the new brand and cited it as one that would drive them to subscribe.

In a creative solution to update the existing brand identity, the team transformed the existing static ‘X’ in Showmax into the key communication element. The ‘X’ became the central entry point for the brand and is now used dynamically on the customer interface to display information and as the holding device to promote the array of local and international content on the platform.

The playful and imaginative brand personality of Showmax was also brought to life in unique X-shaped avatars that allow the customer and partner brands to own a character within the brand identity. For example, the Premier League is upweighted in its own avatar, bringing authenticity and a unique identity to the partnership. ‘We wanted to appeal to the more personable characteristics of a streaming service,’ explained Gregory Trombetta, Executive Creative Director at Grid Worldwide. ‘These avatars have already been so well received and speak to the brand’s playful personality as Africa’s original storyteller.’

As a streaming service’s hero product is the content that it offers, the Showmax rebrand was intentionally designed to best support, enable and empower just that. The brand CI was meticulously curated to house the dynamic application of content across different platforms and successfully promote the key offering of the business.

‘We’ve invested in every aspect of Showmax to help us achieve our ambition of becoming Africa’s number one. It was never just about a pretty new logo. Grid is one of the few agencies that appreciates that challenge and partnered with us to develop a brand that enabled our business,’ commented Yatish Narsi, Chief Marketing Officer of MultiChoice Group.

Proudly adding Showmax to its stable of iconic African rebrands, Grid is excited about the prospects that lie ahead as MultiChoice grows and strengthens. ‘We’re not just another agency. Our intentional approach to Investment Creative™ has allowed us to grow with the MultiChoice business,’ stated David Cohen, joint CEO and partner at Grid. ‘Their success is our success, and we are passionate about working with companies that seek to build on African business and talent.’

GRID WORLDWIDE
www.gridworldwide.com

The Rise Of Price-Sensitive Shoppers And Other Retail Trends

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Modern Marketing

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February 26, 2024

The Rise Of Price-Sensitive Shoppers And Other Trends — Regan Adams, CEO of RCS.

Regan Adams, CEO of RCS, discusses five trends driving change in South Africa’s retail industry.

South Africa’s retail industry has navigated many challenges in recent years, grappling with the prolonged economic effects of the pandemic, coupled with inflation, unemployment, and successive interest rate hikes. Despite these obstacles, online shopping and mobile commerce sub-sectors have demonstrated resilience and continued growth.

Evolutions in the way consumers think and make buying decisions often materialise first in the retail arena. The industry therefore faces constant pressure to adapt to meet evolving demands in a rapidly changing world.

These are five trends that are driving change in SA’s retail industry, especially where consumer purchasing behaviour is concerned:

1. AI: There’s An Upside And A Downside

In the realm of local retail trends, generative AI stands out as a notable innovation to watch. Despite its potential, AI adoption in local retail has been gradual, with it slowly being integrated into marketing, product reviews, recommendations, and data analytics.

Digital workers (Bots) can be used to achieve enhanced customer experience, regulatory compliance and increased speed and efficiency. This automation initiative can enable employees to transition from repetitive tasks to higher-value activities, facilitated by the automated processes.

However, concerns have arisen as research highlights inherent biases within AI systems, with prejudices impacting issues of race, class, gender, and nationality making their way into AI from the realm of human interaction. This ‘minefield of cognitive biases’ poses ethical challenges, especially in customer-facing industries like South Africa’s retail sector, where progress towards diversity and inclusion is at a critical juncture.

2. Hybrid Living Has Become A Way Of Life

In 2024, omnichannel shopping dominates as South Africans, familiarised with e-commerce during lockdown, now adopt a hybrid approach researching product details and reviews online but going in-store to make purchases.

Research by KLA reveals a significant surge in click-and-collect shopping, with 37% opting for online orders and in-store pickups. This trend underscores the importance of seamless e-commerce experiences, advanced logistics and top-notch customer service for retailers, essential for long-term growth and optimal customer retention in the post-pandemic era.

3. Value Beyond The Figures

Long gone are the days where the corporate world operated in isolation, with little to no connection to their communities, their stakeholders’ interests, social objectives and the environment. Greater awareness around the need for corporate social investment (CSI) and ESG (environmental, social, governance) principles is changing the way customers view and interact with brands and businesses.

The retail business of the future is one that has a firm grasp on its role and responsibilities in driving positive change and placing this philosophy at the centre of its unique value proposition.

4. More Seamless And Secure Ways To Pay

Innovations such as contactless payments, mobile wallets and mobile app-enabled payments have taken off both abroad and locally. In South Africa, these technologies have brought unmatched convenience to the retail journey, as well as faster transaction speeds and dramatically improved efficiency.

Choice and convenience have become the hallmarks of memorable retail experiences. The customer of the future will demand smooth, seamless transactions and to pay in the way that suits their individual preferences.

At the same time, the global proliferation of contactless payments and online payment portals has increased the susceptibility of customers to digital fraud. According TransUnion’s recent 2023 State of Omnichannel Fraud Report, there has been an 80% growth in suspected digital fraud attempts globally from 2019 to 2022.

Going forward, it will be imperative for retailers to ensure that the payment gateways they offer are conducive to safe and secure transactions. This will allow customers to enjoy the seamless benefits of online shopping, without having to worry about their online safety.

5. The Rise Of Price-Sensitive Shoppers

The cost-of-living crisis has resulted in many South Africans having much less disposable income and needing to curb discretionary spending by large margins, becoming ever more price-conscious.

Recent research by Deloitte has highlighted the impact that this has had on consumer behaviour. 47% of South Africans report being extremely careful not to overspend on food that might go to waste, 44% are cooking at home rather than eating out and 41% are economising by only buying essential groceries.

Retailers looking to make it through the tough times and protect their profit margins need to prioritise strategic pricing mechanisms, use discounts and promotions to compete for market share, maximise up-selling and get creative about value-added products and services. Offering customers various payment options has become an essential part of the retail mix.

RCS
https://rcs.co.za/