Happiness is... - 13 Apr 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] The Easter holidays are officially over for most of us, and if you were lucky enough to have taken all of last week off, here is what you missed... On Thursday, Woolworths announced a multi-faceted collaboration with Mr Happy himself, Pharrell Williams. The partnership, running with the call-to-action "Are you with us?", will see Williams take on the role of Style Director across a series of sustainability-focused projects for the retailer. read more To succeed in going global, you need to go local, got it? - 30 Mar 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] We all want to go global, right? To market and sell our goods and services out there in the big, wide... lucrative... read more All about the experience - 23 Mar 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Retail sales for January came in lower than expected last week at only a 1.7% increase year-on-year, while January's wholesale trade sales dropped by a huge 7% year-on-year. So what can we do to improve processes and increase sales going forward? The annual Barloworld Logistics' supplychainforesight report has revealed the inability of organisations to anticipate major market shifts and adapt accordingly. Riaaz Jeena points out that the difference between a repeat-buy and goodbye is a positive customer experience; Shailendra Singh shows us that customer experience is a journey, not a destination; and Scott Cundill tells us that no communication is the death of CRM. Have a great week! read more Growth spurt - 16 Mar 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] If there is one question that is always on the mind of any business owner, no matter what the business, large or small, it's "How do we grow?" Whether that means floor space, market share or customer base. read more Keep it mobile - 9 Mar 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] Retail World Africa 2015 kicks off at the Sandton Convention Centre tomorrow, so if you haven't registered yet, you'd better hurry! You can still book your free or VIP pass - just click on that colourful block there on the right. There you go. read more Marching on... - 2 Mar 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] The year feels like it has just begun, but I turn around and realise we've already stepped into March. read more The bigger design in mind - 23 Feb 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] All elements of the design world collide this week for the annual Design Indaba at the CTICC, but if you were unable to get tickets to the live presentations or simulcast, be sure to hop along to the expo - here's a little of what you can expect. In other news, Rhodes Food Group is adding to its pantry with its recent acquisitions of Boland Pulp and Deemster. We also look at what e-commerce offers young SMMEs and niche players, while Random Reality research makes some revealing discoveries about the part print plays in consumers' path to purchase. read more Savvy online insight - 16 Feb 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] This week brought us more insight from the eCommerce Africa conference; Leigh Andrews looked at merging the physical and virtual for total future retail, what needs to happens in e-commerce before you even think about marketing, and how brands have to give loyalty before they can earn it. read more Online - embrace it, love it - 9 Feb 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] This past week has been all about e-commerce, with Bizcommunity's Leigh Andrews reporting from the eCommerce Africa conference. Check out the two crucial elements of mobile success, find out how digital disruption is really redefining retail, and engage with digitally literate shoppers. read more Location, attraction, retention - 2 Feb 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] If you didn't already know, you customers hold the power and, as George Golding explains, 2015 will continue to be all about the customer. So how do you attract and retain them? Well, a clean store for starters, as Stephen Sandmann reminds us of the importance of keeping our retail spaces neat and tidy as a customer drawcard. read more A bite into the future of retail - 26 Jan 2015[Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail (@Biz_Retail)] In consumer trends this week, we look at changing consumer behaviour, the cultural shifts brands will be experiencing, Aki Kalliatakis' Tao of retail and the new opportunities Gavin Tagg expects for the shopping centre industry. In events, the inaugural Retail Fraud Show will be taking place this March in Cape Town, while Dion Chang will attempt to garner order from chaos at this year's first Flux Trends open session. And last but certainly not least, the Spur Corporation is looking to gain a bigger bite of the niche burger market by acquiring a majority stake in RocoMamas. read more 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! |
