Fuel price increase too much for some pumps
Motorists and petrol pump attendants will have to use mental arithmetic to calculate how much they owe for fuel when the price goes up on Wednesday as some pumps are not able to handle more than three digits, the SA Petrol Retailers Association (Sapra) said on Monday.

Petrol price set to rise again by 55c
Motorists are set to dig deeper into their pockets again as the petrol price is set to rise again on 7 May by 55 cents a litre.

Bill Me Later: The 'frictionless' online payment alternative
[Keith Regan] Given the powerful double-digit growth of e-commerce during the first decade of the industry, few merchants worried that a payment alternative to credit cards or the well-established PayPal was needed. More recently, however, as e-commerce growth rates slow, the fast-growing, credit card-free alternative Bill Me Later has proven that merchants and consumers alike are hungry for alternatives.

Does your cover meet the new inflation test?
Rising inflation doesn't only put pressure on the Reserve Bank - it also tests short-term insurance cover. Macro factors like inflation and rising import costs on the back of a weaker Rand can drive up replacement values of many household items, from audio equipment to furniture and appliances.

Financial services overhaul customer service
[Vincent Deschamps] US - Who would have thought the meltdown in financial services could fuel the overhaul of the industry's customer service departments? Actually, it's just one of several factors driving companies to put customer service initiatives on the fast track in pursuit of compelling business advantage.

Game into fitness
The active-gaming phenomenon that's been unleashed on the world in the form of Wii Sport and Play, is taken to the next level with the launch of Wii Fit. Now, not only are gamers forced to get up and move their bodies, they are encouraged to have fun at the same time with the genuine intention of getting fit.


Spuds with snackitude
What began with Peri-Peri chicken and famous sauces has exploded into a snack range of Nando's superi-perior potato crisps. And these cheeky spuds are the heroes of a brand new national campaign.


Cosmetics spur Clicks growth
[Adele Shevel] Health and beauty sales bolstered drug and cosmetics company New Clicks, which showed robust growth in a tough trading environment for the six months ended in February.

How much more are you paying?
[Lihle Z Mtshali] Official figures show that consumers were paying an average of 15.3% more for their food in March than a year ago.

Channel-hopping consumers more loyal to content than TV channels
According to results from Accenture's Global Broadcast Consumer Survey, consumers are growing increasingly disenchanted with their overall television experience, but are remaining loyal to their favourite programs.

Soft drinks a major boost to SA economy
Soft drinks are the single most important product group to the turnover of small informal business, according to a study conducted by the University of South Africa's (UNISA) Bureau of Market Research.

Sweet or sour pills?
When New Clicks started rolling out pharmacies in Clicks stores a few years ago, the concept was not roundly met as a brilliant plan.

SA, Qatar to advance South-South relations
[Bathandwa Mbola] South Africa and Qatar are to advance South-South co-operation by consolidating bilateral political, economic and trade relations.

Nigeria plans rice imports
Nigeria's government has announced it will import 500,000 tonnes of rice up to a value of US$600 million to curtail the effect of the global rise in food prices on Nigeria.

Beefing up for a revolution
African farmers, particularly those in southern Africa, can benefit from the global boom in the demand for meat says new research that suggests several options for ensuring that the "livestock revolution" does not pass them by.

No recession for CRM
[Erika Morphy] When the going gets rough, customer retention becomes even more important. By that logic, continued sluggishness in the overall economy could have little to no dampening effect on the CRM sector, which is on a roll.

No fizz for soft drinks
[Don Robertson] There could again be a shortage of soft drinks following a three-week maintenance shutdown of the Afrox gas plant, although this would affect certain bottle sizes only.

New concepts to refurbish the online store
[Adam Michelson] Most e-commerce sites are approaching their 10th birthday. The standard approach - with left-hand navigation and search, a product catalogue and product detail, cart and checkout - is a tired format. Just like brick-and-mortar stores, Web stores need refurbishing, and retail is the new darling of Web innovation. After all, what major vertical has more to gain from the recent craze in social networks than retail?

Get there with the G502
Sony Ericsson announced the launch of the G502 last week, a compact candy-bar phone that extends its range of web-enabled devices to give a broader, mainstream appeal. It brings the power of the web to a more affordable phone segment, enabling even more users to stay up-to-date with high-speed web browsing and fast downloads.