Blog

South Africa is on par with the rest of the world when it comes to enterprise software development. The business demands are similar to the rest of the world and software development companies have the ability to compete with anyone abroad.

Increasingly, retailers need to create a compelling reason for customers to enter their stores and should look at technology as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Retailers are looking to enhance in-store value propositions with a personalised customer experience.

Advances in technology have driven change in the retail and hospitality industry, which has significantly impacted the way in which brick-and-mortar stores operate.

Personalisation is a powerful tool that allows retailers to market to the right person, at the right time, with the right offer. Store owners can now offer tailored products and promotions to customers using data analytics and artificial intelligence – and they are seeing greater sales as a result.

Much attention has been given to the phenomenal rise of e-commerce, as consumers delight in the convenience of shopping from the comfort of their homes. And as e-commerce interfaces have become ever more slick and seamless, with one-click payment systems and smart, interactive platforms, shoppers have begun to use e-commerce on a regular (sometimes daily) basis.

As business confidence in South Africa plummeted six points in June on the back of disappointing gross domestic product figures for the first quarter, South African retailers battle to achieve profitability, compounded by a PwC survey that names South Africa as the country with the highest rate of economic crime in the world.

redPanda Software has launched its Connected Solution – an integrated platform that improves customer experience, operational efficiencies, productivity, and assists traditional retailers with marketing feedback.

redPanda Software is further expanding into the UK retail market, proving that a South African company can compete against the best global software developers.

South African retailers have for years identified the emerging opportunity in e-commerce, and have invested accordingly. With an eye on the impressive growth within e-commerce in developed markets such as the United States and Europe (e-commerce represented 13% of total retail sales in 2017 and 49% of retail growth in the U.S.), local retailers have looked to replicate this success by developing sophisticated e-commerce platforms of their own.