Despite a slight decline in its performance year-on-year, Woolworths has again topped the RepTrak Pulse reputation survey, with Pick n Pay and Shoprite coming in at a close second and third, respectively. Euromonitor International has released new data on the global consumer electronics industry, indicating that wearable electronics are 'the next big thing', while the dynamic growth of tablets suddenly comes to a standstill. The Innovation Group's latest trend report serves as a snapshot of the latest innovations and what they reveal about the food and drink consumers of the future. And speaking of beverages, Taste Holdings has identified a 'conservative' market opportunity of more than 150 Starbucks outlets in South Africa, and forsees this growing to over 200 in the next five years. The first store opening will be in Gauteng and is scheduled for the first half of next year. Marion Marais unpacks the consumer's complex relationship with their smartphones, particularly in the retail space, where the hype surrounding mobile shopping has often failed to deliver sustainable returns. Then Lisa Reid says it's time to start planning your communication strategy for the festive season, and gives six specially curated tips to improve your marketing efforts. "Some of the foundations laid this time of the year, may well pave the way for a long-lasting future relationship with your customers," she says.
Jessica Taylor, Retail Editor (@Biz_Retail)
Comment online in our ed's column archive. Go mobile with apps and m.bizcommunity.com. Engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Subscribe to YouTube and via RSS. Send all your retail news and event invitations to retailnews@bizcommunity.com, exclusive opinion pieces to contributors-retail@bizcommunity.com and international news to internationalnews@bizcommunity.com. Read "How to contribute to Biz, from op-ed pieces to news".