Author: Staff Writer
SA’s e-commerce platform Shopstar has launched live shopping app in Africa. Flick Live is a dynamic social commerce platform, in which brands and retailers can sell their products, interact with viewers and gain potential customers in real-time live streams. This live shopping platform works by seamlessly integrating with any existing e-commerce store, such as those already run on Shopstar, or by other third parties, such as Shopify, WooCommerce and others. All inventory is automatically synced, and any new orders are created on the source platform. Sellers then host a live show on Flick Live, selling their products via highly personal…
UK department store Marks & Spencer (M&S) and technology company Zyler partnered to deliver an in-store virtual try-on experience. M&S brought the technology to their Oxford Circus and Harrogate branches, where the feature was trialed with clothing brand Jaeger . The introduction of this technology provides a personalized shopping journey where customers become the model. Shoppers add a head and shoulders photo and basic measurements to see themselves digitally in the Jaeger collection. Sales assistants guide customers through the process and give style advice. CEO of Zyler, Alexander Berend, describes the partnership as “a wonderful opportunity to get customers excited…
MTN’s Mobile Money (MoMo) financial services platform is moving fast to meet the rising demand for online payment services. With 6,2 million people already subscribed to the service, the new personal loan offering and partnerships with SA-born fintech start-up Zapper, along with services aggregator QuickBus, are set to further extend MoMo’s impact for those looking to lead increasingly digital lifestyles. MoMo Personal Loans, in partnership with Lndr (PTY) LTD which is a registered credit provider, offers a seamless application and loan approval process. A portion of the funds can then be safely, quickly and easily disbursed into the MoMo wallet…
Africa Data Centres, a business of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African technology group, has announced it is now offering remote peering through its partnership with INX-ZA, further advancing the data centre giant’s development in sub-Saharan Africa. In essence, remote peering is peering at an Internet Exchange without the requirement of being physically present. Customers can use any Network Service Provider’s infrastructure to reach the IXPs, so they do not need to invest in any extra equipment. INX-ZA is a division of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) of South Africa and operates a fully neutral, community-run Internet exchange point in South…
Pick n Pay has launched a new pick-up point for Takealot customers in a store in Cape Town. This is part of a pilot giving customers the huge convenience of picking up their non-food online orders while shopping for groceries. This new in-store service pilot at Pick n Pay Table Bay Mall store launched a week before Christmas and reached collection capacity within two days, strongly suggesting the potential of this concept. Pick n Pay aims to increase the number of in-store collections per day due to the impressive customer participation and will add more stores to the pilot in…
The return to the office, be it after a holiday or a shift from full-time remote working to a hybrid model, brings with it some worrying security habits and risks. While the holiday is not yet a distant memory, it is very likely that great security hygiene is, therefore companies need to prioritise cybersecurity awareness and training as they move into the new year. Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA, points out that the attack surfaces have increased when people return to their offices in a hybrid model, which means that there are even more vulnerabilities…
The overriding retail trend for 2023 will be convergence of technologies and this trend will have widespread significance. This is according to Ajay Lalu, Director and co-Founder of Q-HOP – exhibitor at NRF 2023 – who adds that retailers must wake up to the implications—and opportunities—of profoundly disruptive technology trends. “5G will continue to lead digital physical convergence. This is the beginning of the metaverse – which is (or will be) an interactive environment built on blockchain and internet technology like Web 3.0. From the retailer’s point of view, the ability to create a much more realistic virtual world means…
The BMW Group is sharing its vision of the future digital experience, both inside and outside the vehicle, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 in Las Vegas. BMW i Vision Dee is the futuristic mid-size sedan with a new and pared-down design language. The name “Dee” stands for Digital Emotional Experience – and that is precisely its aim: to create an even stronger bond between people and their cars going forward. Future digital functions will go far beyond the level of voice control and driver assistance systems we are familiar with today. The BMW Head-Up-Display extends across the full width of the windscreen, providing…
The Western Cape Department of Human Settlements strongly urges residents to be aware of online housing scams that request you to pay for government housing assistance. The Department recently learnt of a WhatsApp message that is being circulated, claiming to assist residents to receive a house within 2 weeks. Residents are then requested to pay R2,300 for the approval letter and title deed in order to receive a housing opportunity. Specific areas targeted include Khayelitsha, Stellenbosch, Montana Paarl and Mitchells Plain. Residents should be aware that no payment is required to be placed on the housing demand database (ie. waiting…
A new year brings plenty of opportunities to start afresh, but also a long list of back-to-school and student must-haves from a tech perspective, including laptops, tablets and cellphones. For most this process is a bit like walking a tech gauntlet. This is where TechMarkit really shines with their wide range of pre-owned and reconditioned laptops, tablets, cellphones and Kindles from both its store in Rosebank Mall and their user-friendly website. Preparing for the new school and varsity year is daunting, but TechMarkit has a wide range of high-quality tech items at more affordable prices that can make the process…