Recent political instability in South Africa, culminating in the removal of South African President, Thabo Mbeki, and the resignation of several of his cabinet colleagues, may discourage offshore business process outsourcing (BPO) investors. However... 25 Sep 2008
Clicks, one of the industry leaders in the field of retail pharmacy in South Africa, held its second annual Pharmacy Conference at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 10 - 12 September 2008. The theme for the conference was ‘Realise More' which is a key message formulated to show the company's dedication to building pharmacies in SA to the benefit of all stakeholders. 19 Sep 2008
USA: Gartner's annual Customer Relationship Management Summit stirred up a lot of speculation over the way the industry is evolving. The focus on Web 2.0 was intense and expected, but attendees also found plenty of grist for debate over CRM's fundamental principles. 17 Sep 2008
USA: The founders of GotVMail, who were students when they started their company, found a smart way to get the startup off the ground without going after investors - they included their vendors as partners, cutting deals that would let them launch on the cheap. 15 Sep 2008
Is mobile CRM just around the next bend? If a slew of new applications for the iPhone are any indication, it may have jumped from the realm of wishful thinking to concrete possibility - but "possibility" is still the operative word. 10 Sep 2008
A study released in 2008 by US-based SeeSaw Networks, conducted by OTX, to better understand how digital out-of-home media can be used to reach mobile consumers, shows that digital signage advertising engages people, has high awareness, and is a compelling media that advertisers can use to effectively reach people with their message. 8 Sep 2008
N.B.: These findings are based on 21 mobile ad campaigns across a variety of industries. (Alcohol, Automotive, Consumer Electronice, CPG, Entertainment, Financial Services, Retail, Telecomm, Travel) The averages could significantly change as the number of campaigns increases, so any comparison made to them is directional.
Dynamic Logic, a US-based company, recently announced the aggregate results of mobile branding research studies which compared people exposed to the mobile campaigns to those not exposed, suggesting that mobile advertising can be an effective medium for raising brand metrics throughout the purchase funnel. 8 Sep 2008
The Internet has given consumers a powerful voice to level their complaints when a company does them wrong, and the firm that's unresponsive may have to deal with bad - and potentially very costly - publicity as a result. The sword can cut both ways, though. Complaining customers may face legal risks too, if they're not careful to distinguish opinion from fact. 2 Sep 2008
Consumer product companies must adopt appropriate technologies to help sustain a competitive edge in the market place. 1 Sep 2008
Primall Media will be launching its latest innovation, Touch Screen Directory boards, in October 2008, with the placement of 93 touch screen units in 18 of the top malls countrywide. Consumers will no longer have to try and navigate from current 'you are here' static and confusing shopping mall directories. 29 Aug 2008
CRM solutions used to be solely the domain of the sales force, but now other departments are taking advantage of their flexibility and versatility. They're so adaptable, Avanade's John Yaggie compares today's CRM solutions to that miracle household substance: baking soda. 26 Aug 2008
In a tough economy, businesses are seeking new channels for their products. Industrial suppliers can find a willing marketplace online, but they need to consider their potential clients' needs when designing their websites. 25 Aug 2008
Adopting a customer-centric approach can be a winning business model in tough economic times. 20 Aug 2008
Do loyal customers translate into steady sales or profits? Intuitively, the answer should be yes - and indeed, customer loyalty is a significant metric by which companies rate their performance. However, there a few problems with the concept of customer loyalty and a corporate strategy to develop it, according to Esteban Kolsky, practice leader with eVergence. 20 Aug 2008
The Tshwane Street Furniture Consortium, comprising Primedia Outdoor and Street Pole Ads, has inked a R69-million, ten-year contract with the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality to provide new directional street name signs. 19 Aug 2008
I want to expose three lies that email marketers either tell or have told to them by people who should know better. 15 Aug 2008
A new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor reveals the North American market for hosted outbound integrated voice response (IVR) services is set to more than double from an estimated $213 million in 2008 to $524 million by 2013. 14 Aug 2008
What is unified communications (UC) and why do you need it? UC is not unified messaging, and it isn't a unified desktop. But both of these technology solutions help to support a unified communications architecture. In fact, according to Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company, UC is the convergence of such technologies as instant messaging, e-mail, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), presence and e-commerce in or near real-time. 11 Aug 2008
Todwil Retail Solutions, a privately owned Cape-based retail-marketing company recently acquired Cape Tech Plastics, a specialist injection moulding company, for an undisclosed sum. 7 Aug 2008
The notion of sustainability as it relates to CRM is worth some thought. CRM is used to accelerate the closing of a deal. But when you accelerate a close, especially with some sort of incentive like a discount, what you're really doing is stealing from the future, and that's not sustainable. 7 Aug 2008
