[Biz Takeouts Lineup] 49: The state of e-commerce in South Africa

The first Biz Takeouts Marketing & Media radio show of 2013 kicks off tonight, Thursday, 17 January 2013, streamed live from 5pm-6pm via 2oceansVibe Radio. We will look at the state of e-commerce in South Africa with studio guest and CEO of Loot.co.za, Gary Hadfield. [twitterfall] 17 Jan 2013 12:15

[2013 trends] Reinventing the sales function

[Peter Gilbert] Belatedly, sales - long the corporate stepchild - is emerging not only as a topic worthy of academic and executive attention but also as the business function where substantive improvement is not only doable but also capable of delivering extremely attractive improvements in shareholder returns. 17 Jan 2013 12:10

The SMS industry in 2013

[Dr Pieter Streicher] Improvements in the way SMS is billed for, efficient spam deterrents, evolving technology capabilities and better handling of subscriptions services lay the foundation for another exciting year for SMS as a business communication channel. 17 Jan 2013 06:06

[2013 trends] Internal communication: high value, low cost

[Daniel Munslow] Looking back at the internal communication landscape in South Africa over the past year, and the trends that we are implementing in dozens of companies across Africa, here are some of the highlights of what can be expected in this specialised discipline in 2013. 16 Jan 2013 10:59

[2013 trends] Everything's so serious - time we loosened up a little!

[Karen Ashwin] In reviewing the past few years from an events perspective, I'm tempted to ask: "Where did all the fun go?" As both the South African and the international events industries have grown, developed, matured and become increasingly competitive - all within the context of the global economic crisis - I might be forgiven for thinking that the game plan has changed. 16 Jan 2013 10:40

[2013 trends] Cheaper, better, faster

[Gillian Rightford] The biggest change in South Africa will be the continued growth of mobile and online, and how this affects everything we do - all of our buying habits, from deodorant to cars, and how, when and where we do it. 16 Jan 2013 10:25

[2013 trends] The old 'new' rules for language

[Tiffany Markman] Here's my list of old 'new' language rules for 2013: things that have evolved over the last few years, things pro writers are using in certain contexts and things you will see more and more in today's writing, now that you know what to look for. [Please note: the listed items are to be used only in light of the mini-disclaimer at the bottom.] 15 Jan 2013 12:05

[2013 trends] Game on for retailers going mobile

[Steve Cragg] As crisis-hit Europe continues to impact economic growth, and projections for the local economy are trimmed, the battle for a share of consumer spend is getting increasingly fierce. Retailers will rely on technology to drive innovative discount models and integrated loyalty programmes by optimising the one device every consumer has access to already - even in-store - the mobile phone. 15 Jan 2013 11:08

[2013 trends] Social media marketing and the youth

[Bradley Maseko] The following is a breakdown of social media marketing trends for 2013.This year I take a look at both external (the youth market) and internal (business marketing efforts) trends that I predict will play a crucial role in further cementing the role of social media marketing in the overall marketing strategies for most brands and businesses seeking to effectively engage the youth market through social media platforms. 15 Jan 2013 01:02

[2013 trends] Who said magazines are dead?

[Sue Disler] What an interesting dilemma it was for me moving into publishing almost three years ago. The glossy was HERO and digital was a very, very bad word indeed. But I was excited that, for first time, I could really get to grips with CONTENT. In advertising that's the missing, quintessential link. In order to understand where I am headed here, let me contextualise my thinking by way of illustrating a historical, time-stamped journey of sorts. 14 Jan 2013 14:44

[2013 trends] Time of choices, decisions for strategic marketing management

[Darren Woolley] Last year was certainly an economic roller-coaster ride. In 2013, marketers will need to look through the uncertainty and make some longer-term plans, as well as choices and decisions, on how they will steer their brands forward. So here are some of the decisions and choices to be made in 2013, in no particular order... 14 Jan 2013 14:14

The world needs African solutions

[Wesley Lynch] African software has had some qualified global successes, but more often than not our home-grown innovations don't 'take' well in other territories. To overcome this, we need to think wider. While African solutions are often preferred in dealing with African problems, our software developers must also identify global applications for their solutions, if they are to have global success. 14 Jan 2013 10:19

E-learning trends: what to expect in 2013

[Kirsty Chadwick] E-learning is expected to be worth US$107 billion globally by 2015. Experts predict that digital learning is going to be increasingly mobile in 2013, which will open it up to a wide audience in South Africa where 2.4 million people have access to the internet via their cellphones alone. 11 Jan 2013 06:13

E-commerce forecast for 2013

What 2012's stats tell us about trends for online shopping in the New Year... How consumers' confidence and trust in e-commerce is growing, and how reviews are the coming wave. 11 Jan 2013 05:37