Today's retailer is faced with a conundrum. Shareholders expect better return on invested capital and more frequent merchandise turns, but customers expect to have the merchandise they want and see advertised actually in stock and available for sale when they are ready to buy. The solution seems obvious - offer localised assortments in stores or personalised views in other selling channels. 25 Jul 2008
The world of online business communication has introduced two industry-changing elements for small business: more customers and more competitors. Circa 1999, you were ahead of the competition by simply having a website to preview your service or products. By 2004, web transactions were the norm, and convenience was the king. 25 Jul 2008
As though in defiance of current economic trends, Amazon delivered second-quarter earnings that gave investors little to complain about. 25 Jul 2008
Never before has the voice of the customer been so loud. And never before have companies been so keen to not only pay close attention to the wants, likes, experiences, preferences, opinions, suggestions and complaints of customers, but to carefully analyse and act upon the information in a systematic fashion. 25 Jul 2008
Low income earners in South Africa have the opportunity to invest in their future with their money guaranteed by Government through Retail Savings Bonds. 25 Jul 2008
Lipsy, a young British fashion brand founded in the heart of London, recently hit South African shores with its official unveiling at Cape Town's celebrity haunt, The Mount Nelson Hotel, and the Crab Tree and Evelyn Tea Room at the Design Quarter in Fourways, Johannesburg. 25 Jul 2008
South African motorists might be able to breathe a little easier from next month as the price of petrol and diesel is set to decline by about 25 cents and 15 cents respectively. 24 Jul 2008
The latest growth of shopping centres in Mpumalanga has ensured that Purchase Decision Makers (PDMs) in their direct catchment area now don't have to travel for ages for a good dose of retail therapy, says John Bowles, Joint Managing Director of the Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB). 24 Jul 2008
With the introduction of innovations designed to demystify one of South Africa's most popular tipple, the 2008 FNB Whisky Live Festival aims to take both connoisseurs and novices alike on a journey through the allure, origins, flavours and history of whisky. 24 Jul 2008
When a public challenge was issued to Nando's last week by SABC2's Morning Live to better its offer of free meals to everyone 90 years and older in honour of Nelson Mandela's birthday, Kevin Utian, Nando's MD, immediately picked up the gauntlet. He opened up the offer to include every South African who shares a birthday with Madiba, and by the end of business on Friday, 18 July, an astonishing 10,800 free birthday meals had been dished out to South Africans around the country. 24 Jul 2008
One of the hallmarks of CRM is that its footprint keeps expanding. I think part of the reason is that we have taken to lumping everything that is not a back-office application area into CRM. In fact, some people are even using front office interchangeably with CRM these days, myself included. 24 Jul 2008
British mobile phone giant Vodafone sales warning sends share price into decline. 24 Jul 2008
Recently the EEC posted the results from a survey asking, "What is the primary metric by which you measure the success of your subject line A/B tests?" 24 Jul 2008
One of packaging's most important functions is to entice consumers to buy the product. Oh sure, there's those more lofty, generally more admired traits of protecting the product, ensuring it gets to market and all that stuff. 24 Jul 2008
Feedback Food Redistribution (Feedback) and Fruit & Veg City have joined forces to fight hunger in South Africa with the launch of the ‘Care 2 Carry' campaign, and customers are being asked to help. Shopping bags, designed by pupils from the Luzuko Primary School in Guguletu, are being sold at all Fruit & Veg City stores nationwide, and R2 will be donated to Feedback for each bag sold. 23 Jul 2008
Professor Byron Sharp leads the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, which conducts serious research and development into how marketing works based on over 80 years of data from top global companies. Join him at South Africa's first ever Retail Advertising Conference, where he will demolish six myths of retailing. 23 Jul 2008
Small businesses generally buy their IT just as Joe Public does - at a computer retail store. 23 Jul 2008
Lorraine Schuit, franchisee of Ola Milky Lane Pavilion in Durban, has scooped her second award in less than a year. 23 Jul 2008
Winners of the SA Terroir Wine Awards were announced at the Meerendal Wine Estate near Cape Town recently, and female winemakers distinguished themselves by winning the categories for the top shiraz, pinotage and viognier. 23 Jul 2008
South Africa and the European Union are to strengthen relations and address shared bilateral, regional and global interests at the SA-EU Summit that kicks off on Friday, 25 July 2008, in Bordeaux, France. 23 Jul 2008
