Tag: customer journey

Simplifying customer interactions can lead to happier, more loyal customers. There is more choice than ever before, meaning customers are not forced to endure a customer experience (CX) that is characterised by clutter or unnecessary friction. We’ve all experienced difficult customer experiences. Just recently, I opted to use WhatsApp to engage with a business but was channelled back and forth between channels to ultimately accept that I was number 200-odd in the voice queue.

E-commerce, e-tail or online shopping – whatever you call it, its adoption among South Africans has almost reached ubiquity, sitting steady at 6% of the total retail pie (on and offline purchasing), with 86% of online consumers (49% of which have a household income of less than R10,000.00 per month) reporting that they have purchased online. This is according to the sixth annual South African Customer Experience Report.

Three iconic apples have profoundly shaped human behaviour over the centuries. It began with Eve's fateful bite, symbolising our innate temptation for social status. Then came Newton's apple, revealing the gravitational forces that exist between objects and people. Finally, there was Steve Jobs' Apple, putting a powerful handheld window to the world in our palms - allowing us to seamlessly connect, purchase, and share our lifestyles like never before.

With brands recognising the power of conversations, AI-driven solutions, and phygital experiences, consumers can anticipate more personalised, seamless, and satisfying engagements with businesses this year. As technological innovations continue to shape the business landscape, 2024 is poised to be a transformative year for customer experience (CX).

South African banks have weathered rough seas during the past year, with many of their customers coming under severe pressure from a stagnant economy, rising cost of living and high interest rates. Despite these storms, the financial services industry is still delivering good profits and growth, but there is constant pressure to maintain these results amid the adverse market trends and pressures that are currently shaping the landscape.

South Africa narrowly escaped a technical recession, according to the latest figures released by Stats SA in early March. Recession or no recession, growth is just not high enough to improve economic conditions and coupled with record interest rates and increasing prices at the fuel pump and grocery store, South Africans are under pressure.

Consumers in South Africa are under immense pressure with a cascade of bad news resulting in increased prices at the till. Producer Price Inflation continues to rise, with the latest figures showing an increase from August’s 4.3% to 5.1% in September: things are going to keep becoming more expensive following higher fuel prices, a high lending rate to try to keep inflation in check and a weak, volatile Rand. Despite this, retailers have to sell goods and consumers need to buy goods.

Tourism is a multi-sensory experience and South Africa, with its abundant wonders, exemplifies this perfectly. But in reality, more than 60,000 South African citizens grapple with hearing impairments and are unable to experience our country through all five senses.

Understanding trends in any given field helps businesses understand what conversations are happening in the industry broadly and likely strategic topics for their competitors. In other words, if everyone else is talking about a new technology and how it impacts business operations, why aren’t we?

Liezel Jonkheid | Director and Founder | Consumer Psychology Lab | mail me | South African consumers are in a fragile state - emotionally, psychologically,...