In top news this week, the CMO Council has released a report revealing that large, global e-commerce communities are disrupting the retail marketplace by bringing together vast numbers of buyers and sellers in frictionless transactional environments. This is forcing brand marketers to rethink every aspect of how they go to market.
Sticking with e-commerce, Mark Thomson from Zebra technologies shares his views on how technology is driving the millennial retail market.
The latest Mastercard SpendingPulse report shows that retail sales for March 2018 grew by 4% year-on-year after removing the effects of inflation, marking the highest growth rate for retail spending since May 2013.
And with the topic of food safety being top of mind this year, EcoWize's Gareth-Lloyd Jones asks the question: "What will it take to improve food safety standards in SA?"
Turning our focus to fashion, it looks as though H&M may soon be stocking products from SA suppliers following pressure from Government for them to procure locally as a practical way to "atone" for racially insensitive advertising.
Bizcommunity's Maroefah Smith chats to Chloe Townsend and Nick Dutton from Missibaba and Mami Wata respectively to find out more about the brands' new collaboration in support of surf therapy NGO Waves for Change.
And for #AfricaMonth, Ruth Cooper interviews Thandazani Nofingxana, a fashion and textile designer and one of the 2018 Design Indaba Top 40 Emerging Creatives, about the inspiration for his latest collections as well as what it means to be an African designer.
All that and more... enjoy!
Lauren Hartzenberg
Retail Editor: Bizcommunity.com
