Despite the fact that South African business and consumer confidence is low, local retailers are faced with a significant opportunity to drive sales and become more operationally streamlined and efficient. This opportunity lies in technology and shifting to intelligent retail software and platforms that enable retailers to embrace digital offerings and drive innovation.
‘As a retailer, how much should I be spending on IT?’ Although retail decision-makers have been asking this question (with high frequency) for decades, the amplified role of technology in driving sales today has arguably made this question more important than ever before.
While the economic environment is creating a tough operating landscape for South African retailers, technology is providing near-infinite opportunities for forward-thinking retailers to drive sales and bottom-line growth.
In today’s digitally driven business environment, it is critical that businesses are powered by enterprise software that is tailored to their specific needs. Indeed, every business – even if they sit within the same sector or industry – has a unique customer experience and differentiated offering, which must be reflected and supported by the enterprise software that drives the business.
Based on its recent analysis of enterprise software for the retail market, Frost & Sullivan recognises redPanda Software with the 2017 South Africa Customer Value Leadership Award for establishing a strong competitive position within the enterprise retail industry through its dedication to developing custom-made retail software solutions and managed services, which provides its retail and financial customers with a competitive edge for exceptional customer service and value.
Cape Town-based redPanda Software and PCMS, one of the world’s leading point-of-sale software companies, have announced the extension of their partnership by adding sales and implementation to redPanda Software’s existing development role.
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.
In the devastating wake of the global pandemic, companies across industries are grappling with the economic impact – and few more so than the embattled retail sector. Without a doubt, “making the numbers” is rare amid weaker revenue. This means there is inevitably a strong focus on cost containment, including IT spend, often resulting in the dilution or even abandonment of IT initiatives that are essential to retailers’ long-term competitiveness.
Experts reveal how agility has been one of the drivers of success in business this year.
Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have no chance of surviving the onslaught from e-commerce unless they invest in their customer experience, says redPanda Software Group CEO Gareth Hawkey.
