War, extreme weather, power cuts, looting, connectivity issues… anyone would think South African retailers had a lot to contend with. And they’d be right.

The last couple of years has seen the supply chain hit hard, with challenges piling up. 

Sustainable consumerism isn't going away, and retail brands need to truly walk the walk.  It should come as no surprise that the concept of sustainability has been driven primarily by the consumer with more than a third being willing to pay more for sustainable products.

What a pleasure it was to sit down with Stephanie Buttigieg, Senior Consultant and Technical Team Lead at Retail Directions. Read on for inspiring insights into Steph's career journey, continued education, and memories of what sparked her passion for Software Engineering when she was just 9 years old.

When Ebenezer Scrooge was stuck in his ways, he had the benefit of timely visits from the ghosts of the past, present and future to teach him how to change his ways. As we move into 2022, we come bearing a candid look at the past, present, and future for retailers too. Sitting comfortably?

Many retailers have been impacted by the coronavirus, some quite severely. We have learned a few interesting lessons working in partnership with our clients through this difficult period – definitely worth sharing with the retail industry at large.

Ransomeware cyber-attacks alert. With the recent developments related to COVID-19, we are witnessing an increasing number of attempted cyber-attacks involving ransomware.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is severe. Specialty retailers have been particularly affected, with many forced to close their stores. Apart from online business, their income has dried out.

As seen in Power Retail (27 April 2020) ” The outbreak is one of the most unprecedented events in modern history. So, what does this mean for retail and will it survive after the virus has gone?

In 2018, you just can’t hide from the media frenzy around Artificial Intelligence. Statements like “CIOs must put AI on the fast track”, “the local business sector is well behind foreign competitors”, “totally unprepared”, “we have to catch up”, and “Elon Musk and tech heavies invest $1 billion in Artificial Intelligence” dominate the headlines. At the same time, just about every software application with semi-advanced algorithmic capabilities now claims to include AI.

Co-authored by Lex Gorecki