Sales for the season - 1 Dec 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Now firmly in the middle of retail's biggest selling season, big brands and retail corporates have been making a few purchases of their own... Steinhoff is looking to buy a majority stake in Pepkor, while Coca-Cola intends to acquire Applestiser and 19 other soft-drink brands from the SABMiller stable. read more Customer service - takes two to tango - 24 Nov 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Between the Cell C banner and that frog in the salad, we've seen a lot of talk centred around customer service... or the apparent lack thereof. read more Keep your customers happy - 17 Nov 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] The Cell C banner has caused quite a splash since it's prominent placement outside the Worldwear Shopping Centre over a week ago... and subsequently all over social media. read more 'Tis the season to be marketing - 10 Nov 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] As marketing for the festive season gears up, what are you doing to get your products noticed by consumers? Shopper marketer, Jason Frichol, along with Pierre Le Grange, tells us we have half a second to catch the attention of shoppers, and less than three seconds to get your message across. It's time to design for shoppers... read more 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 |
