New retail reality means interrogating online strategy

Kerry Ho

We are currently in a very unique economic situation where an unforeseen global pandemic has forced consumers to find safer, alternative ways to do their shopping. More consumers are turning to online shopping and e-commerce has pivoted in more ways than one in a matter of months.

Consumers want an online shopping experience that is seamless with excellent customer service. Businesses need to cater for instant gratification, which our customers now desire and have come to expect.

This new reality has forced retailers to honestly interrogate their online strategies and invest more in their online shops. Their long-term strategies and plans have moved forward and most retailers are trying to make sense of this as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible. A part of their online strategy should be to look at advanced fulfilment technologies and infrastructure which allows them to deliver products to their consumers in a shorter space of time.

How to capitalise on the digital retail takeover

Tyrone Van Heerden  30 Jul 2020

We must remember that e-commerce is still very young in this country and this is where the innovation comes in. As Massmart Retail we’ve worked within these times. For instance, within Game we now offer wider online product ranges, mobile apps as well as delivery through Uber Eats.

Widening your marketplace

Online retailers have also looked at widening their marketplace by using the likes of Facebook and Google commerce where consumers can buy products directly from these platforms. This allows no interruption for the consumer who could be scrolling their timelines, and also doing their shopping - making their purchases quicker and easier.

The increase in online marketing and shopping gives retailers the opportunity to understand their customers better. Using automated marketing tools is beneficial to gather customer data as well as personalised marketing, which is relevant to consumers based on their buying behaviour and beneficial for the overall shopping experience, leaving the consumer feeling like the brand knows them and cares about them as an individual.

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Lauren Hartzenberg  31 Jul 2020

The pandemic has forced change and spearheaded innovations which would probably have taken years to implement or would have never happened at all.

We have seen customers spend more time on their screens and so spend more in e-commerce. I expect this shift to taper back a bit post-Covid, but consumers are now more comfortable than ever to adopt online shopping behaviour. Within these times a far greater responsibility rests on us to serve consumers expertly online, in store and in the products and services we deliver.