This helps them retain the consumer’s loyalty, allowing for upselling, cross-selling, and reselling. Retailers have had the ability to evaluate the success of their ad spend on social and digital channels in a limited way. This in no way utilises the immense volume of data at their disposal, nor does it give them the ability to track and influence the customer journey.

The Popimedia’s Digital Influence survey shows that the way consumers shop has changed. It also shows that South Africans spend over eight hours daily on the Internet, and close to three hours on social media. Additionally, it shows that discovery starts on mobile, with 72% beginning their shopper journey on the mobile device, as opposed to other platforms.

RetailSMART connects to business data in real time, providing the retailer with opportunities to create hundreds of audiences for relevant ad-spend, through an end-to-end, automated process. 

We realised early on that creating true personalisation is simply not possible with the number of hours a marketing department has in a day. Through smart data, client information, and automation, we believe we have created the pinnacle of personalised marketing, which will undoubtedly further revolutionise the retail game.

In his Forbes op-ed, The Future of Retailing: The Technology Revolution is Now, Walter Loeb says, "For both groups – millennials and Gen Z – social media is vital. However, I find it notable that 58% of Gen Z say they want to shop in stores." 

Generation Z, typically born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, is becoming independent (both financially and personally). Retailers need to be aware of not only their spending preferences but, more importantly, their consumer behaviour.

We already know that tech has changed how we shop – and those changes will continue to come in the industry. It is critical that retailers carefully investigate the technology at their disposal should they wish to survive the sea-change we’ve seen in recent years.

For more information, visit www.popimedia.com. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.