[Retail Congress Africa] Woolies director on the push and pull of omni-channel trading

Paula Disberry

Here, she explains the push and pull concept on omni-channel in more detail.

Is this the first time you're going to be speaking at Retail Congress Africa? What are you most looking forward to?

I spoke two years ago at The Maslow and, unfortunately, could only attend briefly last year. The growth opportunity in Africa remains significant, but as a continent we are facing some significant headwinds. I'm looking forward to hearing from others their perspective on the opportunities and challenges.

What impact do you think the event could have on the retail sector in South Africa, and Africa as a whole?

The opportunity to share experiences and perspectives can give us confidence and new ideas on how best to approach the opportunities and challenges we all face.

What is the push and pull of omni-channel trading?

The pull is the demand from customers for relevant engagement and seamless cross-channel integration. The push is the need for business transformation and the creation of a new business model to meet those expectations profitably.

What has been the main challenge/opportunity for Woolworths on the omni-channel journey?

One of the biggest challenges has been that of appreciation and understanding of the omni-channel opportunity. Because e-commerce itself is small, it is easy to dismiss the strategic importance of developing omni-channel capability. Also, the investment required in stores and fulfilment is significant for retailers of scale like Woolworths. Leaders must be far-sighted and courageous to invest ahead of the curve.

Paula Disberry is scheduled to present on Tuesday, 3 November from 4.45pm to 5.15pm at the Westin Hotel in Cape Town. Follow her on Twitter using #disberry_paula.

About Paula Disberry

Paula is currently Group Director: Clothing & General Merchandise Planning for Woolworths, South Africa's leading food, clothing and financial services retailer, and has held this role since February 2008. Paula is responsible for the planning for the clothing and general merchandise division. She has been responsible for selecting and implementing a new suite of best in class planning systems to drive sales and reduce markdowns and stockholding, and believes strongly in the power of best practice benchmarking and continuous improvement.

In addition, Paula was appointed to the Country Road (Australia) Board in February 2011, serves on the Risk Committee of the Woolworths Board, and is a trustee of the Woolworths Trust.

Paula had previously worked for Tesco for four years as category director in the papershop, toys & sports, then health & beauty portfolios, with responsibilities in both the UK and Central Europe. Before that Paula spent 10 years with Colgate Palmolive in various sales and marketing roles in the US, UK and Mexico.

She attended Downing College Cambridge from 1986-89, gaining a First (B.A. Hons) and M.A. in Natural Sciences.