By: Kate Waddel, Head of Sales: Data & AI, Specialised Solutions, & Retail at Altron Digital Business

Technology is delivering both incremental and exponential gains for South Africa’s retailers, changing customer experiences and industry norms.

Behind every retail success of the past four years lies a forward-thinking digital strategy, the intelligent use of data, and a committed focus on improving customer value. 

Loyalty programmes are another locus of innovation. These have long played a role in customer retention and engagement, but we’ve seen a shift in their focus; from date- or event-driven promotions to everyday value generation. This has driven a huge rise in membership numbers, reflected in the amount customers spend in-store. 

Across the board, the largest, most enduring successes we’ve seen have resulted from a strategic, integrated approach to technology. A successful unified commerce strategy moves beyond the limitations of multi-channel or omni-channel approaches by integrating all touchpoints – online stores, physical locations, mobile apps, social media, and more – into a single, cohesive system. 

This strategic approach varies by sector and business size. New entrants who decide early on to focus on highly scalable digital infrastructure are able to save costs, which gives them fuel to invest in other areas of the business, while more established players have set up dedicated business units comprising data-science, e-commerce and personalisation experts with the express purpose of delivering innovative, customer-centric solutions.

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