Get social with your customers - 3 Nov 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] According to WhyFive's Retail Shopper Report, South Africa's service really does suck. So what can we do about it? Reporting from the CGCSA Summit at Vodaworld last week, Danette Breitenbach gives us some insight from a panel discussion on how to handle customer complaints fired through social media. read more What consumers say... - 27 Oct 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Consumers have been called upon to rise up following the Dti director-general's invitation to the public to comment on the Draft Consumer Goods and Services Sector Code of Conduct. read more Loyalty to mistrust - 20 Oct 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] The Times Sowetan Retail survey named South Africa's favourite retailers last week, with shoppers showing long-term loyalty to some retailers, while a few new surprises cropped up in amongst the categories. In other news, Tiger Brands has issued a recall of its Tastic Simply Delicious range of cook-in-sauces and ready-cooked rice after it discovered traces of carcinogens in a specific batch of products. read more Takealot of Kalahari... - 13 Oct 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] An email landed in my inbox last week that had me checking my calendar to make sure it wasn't April Fool's Day: South Africa's top two favourite online shopping sites, Kalahari.com and Takealot are merging. Long considered each other's biggest rivals in the e-tail sphere, both have decided to cut their losses, shake hands and form a single e-commerce giant. read more Milk it - 6 Oct 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Despite farmers receiving an increase in price for raw milk from processors, it hasn't been enough to halt the closure of producers, which is still declining at the alarming rate of about 10% a year. This doesn't bode well for the future, especially considering Tetra Pak's latest Dairy Index, which estimates the global demand for milk will exceed supply in a mere three years. read more Colourful confidence - 29 Sep 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] The first blossoms of colour in the trees is enough to put a spring in anyone's step, and so it goes, that colour can influence consumers on an emotional level too. read more Security 101 - 15 Sep 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] After the recent spate of robberies in SA shopping malls, Simon Colman highlights the importance of comprehensive liability cover for shopkeepers and property owners, while Aki Kalliatakis gives shop owners and mall management a few ideas to deter would-be thieves. read more Spring-clean those seasonal strategies - 8 Sep 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] A few wonderfully warm days have let on that spring is indeed here, and what better way to welcome the season than with a little spring-cleaning? Aki Kalliatakis has given us a few tips on how to dust off our customer service departments as we roll up our sleeves and start prepping for the silly season. (Oh, don't pretend you don't have the tinsel and twinkly lights practically crawling their way down the aisles already.) So as we tiptoe ever closer to that time of year, start thinking very carefully about your promotional strategies. read more Brands, banting, and basket comparisons - 1 Sep 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] South Africa's favourite brands were named on Friday at the annual Sunday Times Top Brands Awards, with Coca-Cola taking top honours as Overall Favourite Brand. In other award news, Cape Town's Cavendish Square took home the SACSC Footprint Marketing Spectrum Award for The Exchange. In a new development this weekend, Pick n Pay launched its price comparison model, Brand Match, which will compare selected items in your Pick n Pay basket with other stores products and specials, and will give you a cash-off coupon if you could have bought those items for cheaper elsewhere. Finally, for those Tim Noakes fans, you'll be excited to know that The Banting Kitchen, a restaurant dedicated to the high-fat/low-carb diet, has opened in Cape Town. read more Inspiring excellence - 25 Aug 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] After 23 years at the helm of Truworths, CEO Michael Mark will be stepping down in June next year. In the meantime, the company will be hunting for a suitable candidate to fill Mark's shoes - could it be you? The SACSC held its annual congress in Cape Town last week, where SA's best-of-the-best in retail design and development was honoured at the 2014 RDDAs. read more Trading and trending - 18 Aug 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Trade sales data for June are in, with retail sales remaining unchanged year-on-year, while wholesale trade and food and beverage income have increased. Coming up this week is the annual SASCS Congress, which starts on Wednesday at the CTICC. Trends are on the agenda with CBRE's Peter Gold discussing what consumers expect from shopping centres and retailers, and Broll launching its Retail Consumer Survey 2014. read more Oh, boy(cott) - 11 Aug 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Woolworths has somehow found itself becoming the bullseye in the dartboard targeted by consumers who want to see South African retailers remove Israeli-imported products from store shelves. While the retail chain is in no way the only one to have been approached by incensed customers, Woolworths found itself in the spotlight as protesters picketed outside its stores all over the country this weekend, earning itself the Twitter topic #boycottWoolworths as well as a Facebook page. read more Bigger, better, faster, more... miles - 4 Aug 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] As some of you may already know, I'm a huge fan of the online retail revolution, for all of the benefits Martin Janse van Rensburg mentions here. But, as anyone who shops online knows, sometimes coordinating collections can be a bit difficult. read more Fashion and food trends - 28 Jul 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Last week saw the release of Brand Finance's Top 50 most valuable South African brands, as well as the opening of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town. If you missed the fashion shows, check out some of the creations from KLuK CDGT's collection here. While a lack of sales is an obvious reason for the failure of small businesses, Brad Sugars looks at the reasons behind poor trade. Speaking of sales, Woolworths has finally been granted the unconditional purchase of the Australian Country Road brand. And finally, in research, Philips has released its research report on eating trends and favourite foods during Iftar, throughout the month of Ramadan. read more Three strikes and they're out? - 21 Jul 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] This must be the only country with a 'Strike Season' - with strikes too often being accompanied by intimidation, violence (including murder) and destruction of property. The automotive industry is no stranger to strikes, but now David Furlonger asks whether it's all not becoming a dangerous gamble for the SA motor industry? Unions seem convinced that multinational motor companies are too deeply embedded in SA to walk away. read more |
