Author: Staff Writer

In the age of big data, the Shoprite Group is at the forefront of innovating with artificial intelligence (AI). As one of the world’s leanest and most advanced retailers here are three leading innovations which have had a marked impact on the Group’s operations as it continues to create the best possible customer experience.  Ensuring Sixty60 arrives fast and fresh   To further improve Checkers Sixty60’s delivery times, the Group developed a machine learning algorithm to dynamically define optimal delivery regions. The solution overlays a map with the spatial-temporal view of orders while using order data to determine the optimal delivery…

Starting with just one client and a workforce of 100 people across two floors of Webhelp’s Umhlanga Ridgeside office in October last year, this global consultancy and customer experience organisation has quickly shown the demand for Durban as a business hub. In just a year, the Durban location has brought in further clients and will employ 674 young individuals across the entire office of four floors – with big plans for further growth. “BPO [business process outsourcing] is one of the fastest-growing sectors in South Africa with significant year-on-year growth,” commented Tammy Chetty, Managing Director of Webhelp South Africa. “We’ve…

Shoprite’s mobile application, with the Money Market Account functionality at its core, is the winner of Most Innovative Solution and App of the Year at this year’s MTN Business App of the Year Awards.   The app supports Shoprite’s Money Market Account, a fully-fledged, transactional bank account – the first by a SA retailer – and the lowest-cost bank entry-level account on the market.   “The development of the Money Market Account has been driven entirely by customer needs and we are going to reinvest the prize money to continue to uplift the lives of our customers,” says Jean Olivier, General Manager for Financial…

Small businesses could experience some serious downtime, as result of a forced PHP upgrade that local hosting companies have started to rollout. PHP is a scripting language used to create dynamic webpages – as PHP versions reach their end-of-life, upgrading is encouraged to avoid the potential security risks that arise from vulnerabilities and bugs in older versions. “While upgrading your website PHP is important, it shouldn’t be forced on you. Choosing which PHP works for your business needs, and completing the upgrade, requires a lot of attention,” says head of local hosting company 1-grid.com, Thomas Vollrath. “For already cash-strapped…

Vodacom Central Region, encompassing Free State and Northern Cape, is spending R340 million this financial year on expanding broadband coverage in deep rural areas, upgrading base station sites and network resilience. This investment will drive inclusive digital access across the region, as part of the network’s commitment in ensuring connectivity for all. “Our network rollout programme last year brought internet to many communities in the region for the first time. This financial year we want to build on this achievement by extending broadband coverage and investing in network upgrades to increase access to connectivity. As a result, this can provide…

Following their successful training series on cloud computing, Huawei has run the second and third parts of their 2022 Women in Tech digital skills training for women entrepreneurs with sessions on Leadership Development and Digital Marketing. Says Vanashree Govender, Huawei’s Media Relations and Communications Manager, “Over and above the technical training on digital migration and how Huawei’s cloud computing infrastructure can greatly assist SMEs, the first of these additional sessions was designed to assist the women to look at how they integrate business into a balanced home/work life and the importance of taking care of one’s self. The second illustrated…

The EXPLORE Data Science Academy (EDSA), which started out training young data scientists in South Africa in 2018, has grown in just five years to become ExploreAI (EAI), a global solutions company with international reach across Europe, the USA and Africa. ExploreAI also has a new UK-based CEO Has Dosanjh, who is a seasoned executive in digital transformation and data collaboration applications. Commenting on his appointment at ExploreAI Dosanjh said, “I love taking organisations through complex transformations that involve the use of data, digital assets, and new ways of working. The CEO in me measures success by customer satisfaction and…

The six finalists were chosen following extremely strong competition from over 700 fintechs from 59 countries; Grand Finale to be held on 28 October at the Ecobank Group’S Pan African Centre in Lomé, Togo; Finalists will compete for the top price of $50,000 and admission to the ‘Ecobank Fintech Challenge Fellowship’ program. Ecobank Group, the leading private pan-African banking group, has announced the six finalists for the fifth edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge. The finalists come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Togo. The six fintechs stood out from a highly competitive pool of…

MTN SA today announced the appointment of Wanda Matandela as Chief Commercial Operations Officer (CCOO), effective 1 October 2022. The appointment follows a recent announcement regarding the introduction of the CCOO role to the MTN SA Exco as the company gears up to deliver on its Ambition 2025 strategy. “As we strive to achieve our strategic objectives of driving business growth, transforming customer experience and overhauling employee engagement, it is important that we have the right individuals in place to achieve this. I believe that Wanda’s wealth of experience will have a notable contribution towards enhancing our commercial and operational…

ITHUBA Holdings are on a quest to ensure that South African youth receive the education they deserve and to bridge the social divides that exist in the country. ITHUBA is again awarding qualifying students 100% bursaries for the year 2023, and applications are now open. High achieving learners in Grade 12 and first or second-year students are invited to submit their applications to receive an all-inclusive bursary covering everything from academic tuition, technology equipment, stationery, lodging and even living expenses. The ITHUBA Bursary Programme welcomes applicants looking to pursue their dreams in Commerce, including; Accounting, Management Accounting & Finance and…