Produced by World Wide Worx in association with Mastercard, Peach Payments and Ask Afrika, the report contains insights and information that can help merchants to improve their businesses, including feedback from 1 400 South African consumers. The avatar aims to make it easier for merchants — and anyone else who is interested — to access the findings through voice-prompts, says the company.

This is the second year we're sponsoring the research. We found that while the research is very useful, at times it is difficult for merchants to figure out how to use the findings in their businesses. This year, we wanted to do something different. We worked with our internal marketing team and used an AI software platform to develop an avatar to help guide merchants through the research. We built avatars based on three people in our team, and ultimately chose an avatar based on a member of the brand marketing team. Putting ourselves as the interface was a commitment to our highly regarded support capability," says Yudhvir Ranchod, Brand Marketing Director of Peach Payment.

The avatar draws the information it presents from a database that has been pre-loaded with historical data from World Wide Worx online retail research as well as basic guidelines about ecommerce and online retail. This information has been double-checked for accuracy, says the company.

The system has also undergone extensive testing to prevent "hallucinations," a phenomenon where AI sometimes conjures up "information" that is not accurate. The result is a 24/7 interactive, voice-prompt-guided way to navigate the Online Retail in South Africa in 2025 report and get guidance on how to improve an online business, adds the company.

"We have done everything in our power to ensure accuracy and avoid hallucinations, while trying to be on the bleeding edge of technology," Ranchod explains. "The avatar is a first touch for merchants who want to understand better how the findings impact their businesses. Our support and sales teams are always available as a failsafe, should merchants want to double-check anything presented by the avatar."

"Peach Payments' avatar is an amazing way to help people digest a comprehensive piece of research, and in line with current AI developments we see across the industry," says Arthur Goldstuck, CEO of World Wide Worx.

This is not Peach Payments' first foray into AI. The company also uses a text-based AI chatbot on its Support pages to help merchants and their inhouse software development teams resolve technical issues quickly, adds the company.

The avatar is available online and plans are in place to extend it to other aspects of Peach Payments' offerings over time, concludes the company.

For more information, visit www.peachpayments.com. You can also follow Peach Payments on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or on TikTok.

*Image courtesy of contributor