Can AI agents improve customer experience in tech support?

[Ryan Falkenberg] Very few businesses operating today don’t have a customer-facing piece of technology. Whether that’s an actual product, an app, or even just e-commerce and customer service functionality on their website, all have become crucial to surviving and thriving...

Widespread adoption of AI is shaping next-gen customer service

[Linda Saunders] Customer service is in a state of flux. As budgets and staffing levels increase, so have customer expectations, keeping efficiency critical for delivering higher quality of service...

#WomensMonth: Meet Kara Gouveia, Homemation's marketing lead

[Lauren Hartzenberg] Gouveia is marketing and events manager for Homemation, a supplier of premium audio-visual and automation products in sub-Saharan Africa...

Why retailers must turn to tech as stagflation bites

[Ajay Lalu] Facing a fundamental change in market dynamics, retailers are caught between a rock and a hard place. Technology is their best bet, says Q-Hop CEO Ajay Lalu...

Mitigating risk in the main market is about more than just going cashless

[Andrew Dawson] Before we can even think of trying to move the main market into a cashless economy, there needs to be a serious drive toward ensuring access to technology, writes MacMobile's Andrew Dawson...

4 ways digital innovation gives retail customers what they crave

[John Watling] Customers expect an easy, hassle-free omnichannel shopping experience, and digital innovation is the answer that retailers have been waiting for, writes Accenture's John Watling...

#EcomAfrica: Today's CX lays the foundation of the future shopping experience

[Danette Breitenbach] Speaking at the recent Ecom Africa event, Kyle Ranally of Meta says today's customer experience is the foundation of the future shopping experience...

Bringing the omnichannel B2C experience into the B2B retail space

[Andrew Dawson] While most of the focus has been on the customer-facing side of the retail sector, there are a lot of benefits that could be gained from taking the consumerisation of technology into the B2B element...

Smart retailing for smart cities

[Mariëtte Frazer] Living in a smart home in a smart city, where businesses such as your local grocer know when your milk needs replacing, offers previously unimaginable convenience to the consumer - and great business potential...

How automation can simplify the job of the merchandiser

[Andrew Dawson] For merchandisers, manual processes are inherently problematic....

Real-time analytics in retail - it's now or never

[Andrew Dawson] In the digital age, data is a currency all on its own. The retail sector has lagged in leveraging the value of real time data, due to a number of factors...

The FMCG main market - deploying technology in the new normal

[Andrew Dawson] Globally, the fast-moving consumer goods market had to quickly adjust to the challenges that came with conducting a business in a world of social distancing, hand sanitiser and masks...

Revolutionise the informal retail space with intelligent tech

[Andrew Dawson] Intelligent technology helps to improve the safety of salespeople in the main market ecosystem during the ongoing health crisis and enhances efficiency and profitability across the chain, says MacMobile's MD...

How technology is driving the millennial retail market

[Mark Thomson] Over the last decade, the retail industry has seen a shift in how it operates. The exponential increase in online shopping has had a significant impact on how we buy our products...

How grocers can harness technology to improve food safety

[Mark Thomson] Effects of the Covid-19 crisis on consumer behaviours will extend beyond the pandemic, so it's essential that businesses prioritise food safety in their long-term plans, notes Zebra Technologies director...

Crunch time for retailers to harness the power of location intelligence

[Gary Allemann] Location intelligence leverages the location of customers, products and services to perform planning and analytics that enhance the customer experience, explains Master Data Management's MD...

Why SA retailers are asking the wrong questions around IT spend

[Allan Dickson] ...And how to get to the right questions, and the right spend!

AI steps in to save Covid-affected retailers

[Dean McCoubrey] Eskom's loadshedding, alongside an enduring pandemic, have proven a devastating combination, repeatedly destroying historical data, and demanding a solution to predict the unpredictable...

Beyond discounts: How tech can help keep customers happy all year round

[Robin Fisher] Recent consumer trends have made one thing clear: shoppers have higher expectations than ever before - and for brands looking to stay ahead, it's time to rise to the challenge of meeting them...

Location intelligence can help retailers thrive in an uncertain world

[Gary Allemann] One thing the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us is that relying solely on insight driven by historical behaviour is no longer viable...