Trends and acquisitions - 19 Jan 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] We're already more than halfway through the first month of 2015 and there's one word on everyone's minds: Trends. On the subject today, Mike Sharman tells us that online influencers are the billboards of 2015; Euromonitor shares its 2015 consumer trends with us, as does Dion Chang. read more Up 'n running! - 12 Jan 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Just when we thought it was going to be a quiet week in the retail sector after the post-festive madness (although, for the most part it was), a few major things happened: the merger between SA online giants Kalahari.com and Takealot was approved by the Competition Commission with conditions; Truworths is stocking its interests in kids' wear with the acquistion of the Naartjie and Earthchild brands; and newly-listed Rhodes Food Group is buying Pacmar fruit juice manufacturer and distributor (whose products include Wilde and Amazing juice, amongst others). In other news, Claire Cobbledick explains the power shift in e-commerce, from Me-commerce to We-commerce, and Craig Whittaker gives us his top five spending trends for 2015. Go big this year! read more Welcome to 2015! - 5 Jan 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] The popping of champagne corks is still ringing in your ears, the tree is shedding its needles quietly in the corner, and you discovered a handful of confetti and glitter between the couch cushions this morning. Yet, if you're one of the unlucky ones, you've also found yourself behind your desk on this first Monday of 2015, probably wondering why you didn't pay off HR for an extra week of holiday... read more Bring on the festive madness! - 15 Dec 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Bring on the festive madness!Christmas shopping by candlelight - 8 Dec 2014[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] We're all feeling the brunt and irritation of the on-going load-shedding, but having recently witnessed the closed doors of some large department stores and disgruntled shoppers milling around, waiting for them to reopen, I hadn't given much thought to the revenue lost by retailers who have been rendered, well, powerless. Where are the generators? Who's responsible for implementing a back-up plan - the retailers themselves or centre management? And what about all those lost sales - is there insurance for that? Can they sue for lost income? With Christmas fast approaching, retailers can not afford the downtime, retailers have asked Eskom to review weekend load-shedding, but whether their plea will be successful is still to be seen... Till then, enjoy your candlelit dinners... read more 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 |
