Author: Staff Writer

Elevated customer expectations and tighter budgets will make 2020 holiday shopping more competitive than ever for retailers, as nearly 90% plan to spend the same or less than last year according to new research conducted by SAS, the leader in analytics. Nearly three quarters (74%) of South African citizens reported they plan to spend less on end of year expenditure this year. This included nearly one in four (24%) who said they would be spending less than half their usual amount. As well as smaller customer budgets, retailers must prepare for high expectations when it comes service quality. A quarter of customers would ditch companies after just one poor experience, while 63% would abandon companies after just two-to-five poor examples of customer service, before moving to competing brands. The shift to online shopping…

Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom has appointed Wole Abu as Chief Executive Officer for Liquid Telecom Nigeria and its new Africa Data Centre (ADC) in Nigeria, effective January 2021.  The organisation had recently acquired a premium piece of land in Lagos to build the data centre, which will be the single largest data centre in Africa outside of South Africa. This new Data Centre in Nigeria once completed will address the growing demand for cloud storage and digital services on the continent, and Abu will be responsible for overseeing the strategic growth of ADC’s operations in this new market. “Abu…

Telkom will offer the new iPhone 12 lineup, including iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 mini. With a beautiful all-new design, iPhone 12 models feature unparalleled new camera systems, edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays for a more immersive viewing experience, the biggest jump in durability with the Ceramic Shield front cover, and Apple-designed A14 Bionic chip, the fastest chip in a smartphone. Customers will be able to pre-order iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 mini beginning on December 11, with availability on December 18. For complete pricing and…

Telkom Consumer and YahClick have signed an agreement which enables individual and business consumers to make high quality voice calls and access broadband data packages from anywhere in SA using only a satellite connection. For Phase 1, Telkom will commence with migrating a number of identified consumer customers first and launch to new customers in early 2021. This significantly expands access to affordable connectivity in rural areas nationally without access to fibre. YahClick Satellite Services will deliver the Telkom data and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) packages through its Satellite Platforms, using the latest Hughes Gateway and Ground Segment technology.…

There is little doubt that the rapidly evolving point-of-sale (PoS) landscape and the growing number of digital applications and mobile payment methods is exciting for many retailers. However, it is also challenging, as the PoS environment must be made more agile and flexible. This is due to the sheer pace of change in the digital era, which means that only those businesses capable of rapid evolution will ultimately succeed. According to Norman Frankel, MD for Europe and UK at fintech solutions company Stanchion, constant innovation has become a challenge to solve, especially in an environment where security, regulation and compliance…

Vodacom today announced the first winner of the Vodacom ShakeOff 2020 competition launched last month. The country’s leading network has introduced new interactive gamification and rewards campaign called Summer #ShakeOff 2020. Vodacom is giving away three Mini Coopers, R4.5 million in cash prizes and more. Today, Vodacom’s Chief Officer of the Consumer Business Jorge Mendes handed over a Mini Copper to Samantha Cross. By simply shaking their devices, customers can receive rewards to supplement their spending this summer, with discounted offers, cash prizes, cash vouchers and awesome vouchers through Vodacom’s extensive reward partner network consisting of leading retailers and food…

Vodacom Business Africa has partnered with Crayon Africa – a global Software Asset Management (SAM, Cloud and Volume licensing and associated consulting services – to deliver seamless and improved cloud solutions to businesses in Africa. According to a study from Vodafone Business, ‘future ready’ businesses (FRBs) can be identified by six unifying characteristics, including adaptability, an openness to technology, and clear transformation goals. It is no surprise that businesses around the globe have been migrating their operations online as digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) change the business landscape. The traditional notion of the sub-scale private cloud within…

An innovative partnership between the South African Public Colleges Organisation (SAPCO), the Department of Higher Education and Huawei has led to the opening of 33 ICT academies at TVET colleges across South Africa, in an initiative that will boost inclusive digital skills transfer for SA’s young people. The opening of the academies was announced today at the SAPCO national general council event in Ekurhuleni. The initiative sees 33 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges enrolled in the Huawei ICT Academy programme across all nine provinces, with more than 300 students and lecturers having already participated in Huawei ICT…

South African FinTech group Capital Appreciation Limited (Capprec) has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets. Its shares will be available for trade on A2X from 18 December 2020. The company said in a statement that it will retain its primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Capprec is a financial technology company with proprietary and licensed platforms, solutions, products and applications targeted at the B2B market. CAPPREC’s client base includes all major banking institutions in South Africa, as well as many niche banks, large financial services institutions and other financial services companies. In recent times, the…

MTN today launches MTN Combo Bundles – all-new, all-in-one, convenient bundle solutions comprising voice and data bundles that offer prepaid customers convenience, savings and more value for money when compared to buying open market bundles. MTN Combo Offers are available in monthly, weekly and daily offers. Monthly bundles range from 500MB + 30min for R49 (comprising 200MB Anytime, 200MB Night, 100MB Video and 30 all-Net minutes) to 90GB + 800min for only R999 (comprising 30GB Anytime, 30GB Night, 30GB Video and 800 all-Net minutes). Weekly bundles range from 450MB + 30min for R25 (including 150MB Anytime, 150MB Night, 150MB Video…