Becoming an entrepreneur is an incredibly attractive prospect for many ambitious individuals. The pull starts with a great business idea, and the desire to design your own life and be your own boss. Most successful businesses and brands we see and know today were created by entrepreneurs. However, starting a business is no easy feat to undertake. Before embarking on your new venture, we put together a comprehensive list of the seven skills you should have as an entrepreneur to set yourself up to succeed. 

1. Adaptability

This may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to skills an entrepreneur would need, but when you dive headfirst into your business venture, not everything is going to go according to plan. Though it is important to have a clear idea of what you want, entrepreneurs need to plan for the unexpected. You need to be able to decisively shift to the next best and most effective option. This is sometimes referred to as strategic adaptability. 

The simplest way you can practice this is to plan with a thought-out margin of change, and to learn from past mistakes and experiences. Sometimes things happen that are out of your control, and what people will be watching out for will be how quickly you can react and pick yourself back up.

2. Analytical Skills

Inevitably, at one point you are going to encounter a big task or challenge that may initially seem too daunting to handle. Good analytical skills allow you to break down and classify them into consumable pieces of information. Three interconnected sub-skills support your analytical abilities:

Critical Thinking 

This is the process in which we rationally synthesize and evaluate a given situation or piece of information before making a judgment or a logical connection between ideas or solutions. 

Research 

Research is a fundamental aspect of analysis that you can never use too liberally. This is where we fact check, assess credibility, and back up our ideas with proof and data. You cannot correctly determine a solution to a problem if your understanding of it is not sound in the first place.

Problem Solving  

This is where the critical thinking, research and analysis of an entrepreneur culminates. To effectively problem solve, one many also need to consider the various angles—even the least obvious—and assess if this targets the root of the problem and handles it most efficiently.

3. Communication Skills

Whether you work with a large team, or all on your own, communication is a key skill that successful entrepreneurs need to get their messages across. Good negotiation skills are often even more persuasive than a good idea that an entrepreneur delivers badly. The way you communicate is important both in person and in the way you conduct yourself online. Your online presence, including your email address and social media handles, are indicators of your professionalism. For an entrepreneur, these can make or break business relationships. 

Business connections are all about building trust and rapport, and some people make their living off of it. In the case of business consultants, their jobs require them to be excellent communicators (and have high emotional intelligence). If you have a natural knack for this, you may want to consider business consultancy as a profession. 

Knowing how to communicate effectively also eradicates small miscommunications or errors that may lead to bigger problems down the line. It is always good practice to keep an atmosphere of open communication among your employees so they can voice any issues they have. That way, any issues can be resolved as soon as possible. 

4. Financial Management Skills

By definition, an entrepreneur sets out to make a profit. To do this, entrepreneurs need to know how to handle money in a business. This often involves taking risks with capital, or securing the right investors and investments. Though it is possible to hire other professionals to handle this task, it is still best that the entrepreneur at least has basic financial knowledge in order to ensure their business is making the right monetary decisions. If you are completely new to finance or business, we have a comprehensive guide that provides all the fundamental information you need to get started. 

5. Leadership Skills

Having good leadership skills is vital when you are putting together a team to launch a new business or if you are hired to lead an existing one. Leaders must be able to inspire and command respect in order to motivate their workers to strive for the same goals. We can consider this an umbrella topic for a core subset of skills you need in a leadership position. You can find a detailed breakdown of these skills here. 

It is often a good idea, especially when working with a new group, to plan sessions for team building. This allows you to get to know everyone, and for them to get to know one another. By doing so, you can discover their strengths and be able to delegate tasks more effectively. 

Delegation is another underrated and important skill to have as a successful entrepreneur and leader. Studies have shown that knowing when to delegate tasks is paramount to growth in a business. This is harder than it looks, however. It takes maturity to understand when others are able to carry out a task better than you can. You can check out our in-depth look into the practice of delegation. 

6. Marketing Skills

It’s one thing to develop a fantastic product, but that will not mean anything for your business if you do not target and maximize your audience. Brilliant marketing is a way to connect with the people who will be consuming your product or service. This also promotes and ensures buyer loyalty. 

Marketing in this day and age has never been easier. With the advent of social media, businesses can keep their customers constantly informed about new releases and make personal engagements. This even allows people to share your brand content with others on their own. 

The reach of digital marketing is endless. What you need is the skill and creativity to utilize it to your advantage. Key aspects of good marketing include a clear vision and appropriate branding. This means setting a look and tone that befits your target audience. 

7. Strategic Planning Skills

In essence, strategic planning involves organization. It’s one of the skills entrepreneurs use to manage and align priorities, set goals and streamline operations. One way to practice this is to put everything into visuals like strategy maps or frameworks. This forces you to condense plans in a way that will let everyone in your company know what page you are on. 

Planning this way is also considered a management activity. You can apply this regularly in scheduled segments, which also serves as documentation of your company’s progress. This way, the company can take a step back to see how far they have come and assess where they need to go.

New companies also set business milestones for themselves as a feature of their strategic planning. Milestones create concrete goals to strive for year by year. Creating structures that plan for growth and obstacles will provide a path that you can monitor. That way you can make sure you do not fall off track and can provide safeguards against any bumps along the way.

Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur

New business owners need to be willing to take real risks before achieving profit. Statistics show that half of new businesses fail after five years, and a large percentage is due to the lack of proper preparation. This means that by equipping yourself properly, you are already setting yourself up with much higher chances of success.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M

Original article link: https://www.freshbooks.com/hub/startup/essential-skills-every-entrepreneur-should-have

 

South Africa’s rural areas are often overlooked when it comes to innovative services like grocery delivery apps. Spotting this unmet need, Siyanda Mthethwa founded mobile app Kuloola to improve the lives of people in rural areas and create employment opportunities for youth.

Kuloola is South Africa’s first online rural grocery store with a sophisticated navigation app that maps rural households and provides delivery services to households and tuckshops in underserved rural areas. Households, tuckshops, churches and other groups can order groceries online, SMS, WhatsApp or phone call. Groceries are delivered within 24 hours.

Prices are competitive and delivery fees are five times lower than the cost most pay for transportation to the city.

In recognition of his work, Mthethwa made it onto the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans 2020 list, he was an Accenture Rising Star Award winner, and most recently scooped the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Award.

Find out more about the Kuloola mobile app and the entrepreneur’s journey below through the conversation between Siyanda Mthethwa and BIZCOMMUNITY:

What led to the creation of the Kuloola app?

I grew up in a rural community where my grandmother owned the village spaza shop. I noticed from a young age how expensive and challenging it was for her to get stock from the nearest town. Secondly, we lived opposite a bus stop and I would always see community members, especially elderly women carrying heavy bags of maize meal, rice, potatoes on their heads after being dropped off by taxis.

I guess it never sat right with me, and it has always stayed in my subconscious. My grandmother and many members of her community represent millions of rural South Africans who, for decades, have been grossly underserved. These challenges inspired us to bring about the necessary solution, which is Kuloola.

What are some of the challenges that you have faced since starting out?

Pioneering a new type of innovation without a benchmark is extremely difficult. There has been a serious amount of learnings, adaptations and pivots. Creating a great workplace culture is perhaps the hardest and most important challenge, as we have a team from different walks of life and getting that right has been difficult.

How has winning the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Award impacted your business?

Winning the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Award is not only a great validation of our work, but has also led to companies in the FMCG space taking us very seriously. We have received numerous requests for collaboration and partnerships over the past three months.

We plan to use the R1.3m that we were awarded in grant funding to optimise our tech navigation app and online store so that we can expand into more areas. We will also create five additional jobs.

How many people have gained employment through this app?

We currently employ 18 people – 11 females and seven males. All of our team members are from rural areas and the average age group at Kuloola is 32 years old.

As someone from a rural area, what efforts are you making to ensure that the local youth are aware of technology and the many career possibilities in this field?

Rural youth are relatively tech-savvy and we already see a 90% smartphone penetration rate amongst those between the ages of 18-35 years. As data costs continue to decrease, our efforts are directed at creating ‘enablers’. For example, a mobile application that can enable access to products and services for rural youth.

What qualities do you believe entrepreneurs must possess in order to succeed?

I believe that anyone who fully commits to entrepreneurship can be an entrepreneur. Many aspects of entrepreneurship can be learned and anyone who is willing and flexible enough can adapt. Many qualities like focus, understanding numbers and persistence can be learned along the way.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be an entrepreneur?

Be persistent. Entrepreneurship can be a difficult and lonely journey. Rejection and disappointment are something you will often experience. Stay the course and remain focused. Never give up!

How do you envision Kuloola five years from now?

We want to see Kuloola as Southern Africa’s most preferred last-mile delivery solution for rural and township communities in both FMCG and e-commerce.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M

With news out that Amazon online shopping will be available to South Africans in February 2023, what should local CMOs be doing?

They should be acting to avoid risking their brands and their intellectual property (IP), as opportunistic resellers will look to take advantage of the new commercial opportunity.

Most people were already dabbling with online shopping, but Covid fast-tracked those plans, with Amazon seeing significant growth over the last two years. While this offers local brands a huge opportunity, many marketing leaders will be understandably nervous of unscrupulous resellers taking advantage of all their hard work.

Looking at what companies can do to mitigate the risk of bad actors selling counterfeit or similar versions of their products, there are practical actions local CMOs can take as soon as the local service goes live – and before.

1. Stake your claim or risk losing brand control The first and most urgent action is to claim your brand. If you haven’t claimed your brand you can’t register to trade and you are not able to stop others from misusing your intellectual property. And, if you think that this is an unlikely scenario, Amazon shared that they had stopped four million bad actors from fraudulently using brands in 2021 alone.
   
   So, even if you don’t want to sell on Amazon, or simply want to bide your time before beginning, at least you know your brand and your IP is protected.
2. Get the legwork done upfront, even if you choose not to trade Understand that there are a good few steps involved in setting up a seller account as well as a fair amount of documentation that needs to be completed.
   
   Once you have gone through the legwork, companies are able to control all elements of their brand, including the titles, descriptions, images and videos etc. of their branded products.
   
   This means resellers are only able to compete for the prices at which they sell those products. Brands must understand that they can’t control who sells products on Amazon.
   
   What’s more, the platform is designed to drive prices down. While brands can get frustrated by that, they have to accept that this is a worldwide supply network and you can’t control that. However, you can control your brand and how it is experienced – just as you would across every other physical and digital channel. You either get in early and control your brand, or you will be in a world of pain a few months down the line.
3. Check your pricing models to inform your strategy Although not available just yet, local brands will soon be able to check how profitable it will be to use the global network by checking out the FBA fee calculator, although I believe the logistics and last-mile delivery in South Africa may make it a little more expensive for local sellers than the more mature markets which have robust postal services.
4. Amazon’s not the only game in town When CMOs look at how to deal with the Amazon launch they should also use the opportunity to explore a broader marketplace strategy.
   
   The niched vertical marketplaces are very strong and should be included as part of your bigger marketplace strategy. No matter where your customers find themselves they should have the same brand experience, whether on Amazon, Zalando or ASOS. Brands must also control the prices on each platform.
   
   Just as a brand would have a branding and pricing strategy across all supermarkets, they need to take ownership of their global marketplace strategies as well.
5. It’s not nearly as painful as you might think If South African companies have products they want to sell and distribute globally they should not feel overwhelmed. The fifth piece of advice is to keep calm. When we onboard a new client we would set up an Amazon account locally and, if they want to trade globally, in all EU markets as well as the US, we would build relevant product content in seven languages, ship the product to one central fulfilment centre and then distribute it globally from there. Our work with enterprise clients around the world has shown us the efficacy of Amazon. With the right content and the right partners, you can easily take advantage of the biggest digital marketplace in the world.

Pay attention to your content strategy

Finally, one aspect that will need close attention is a company’s content strategy, and this is something that marketing leaders should waste no time in actioning.

My colleague Roan Mackintosh, Incubeta MD, Middle East and Africa imparts a final tip: “With one account and one backend integration, you can sell your products across the globe without any further infrastructure or personnel investment, making an Amazon play a no-brainer for many consumer brands.

“However, within a very high density, high competition marketplace environment, if a brand has not properly invested in their images, product descriptions and all the rich media associated with their product, they are wasting their time and money as they will get lost in the noise as consumers gravitate to higher quality and enticing content.”

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M

See the original article here: https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/16/229803.html

The newly-released fourth edition of the South African Digital Customer Experience Report, reveals how far South African consumers have come with regard to how they interact and shop online (and offline) with brands. Conversely, it is evident that brands and businesses have made great customer experience leaps to keep up with the growing demand from these savvier consumers.

The 2022 report producers note that there’s little need to still attribute this to the Covid era, as while the pandemic precipitated a move for many to digital, it has permanently influenced our new online shopping behaviour.

Social selling, the astounding impact of reviews and also how the major impact of online – in all of its facets – is impacting the offline sale is significant. So much so that this report estimates that online product research and discovery influences as much as R293.8bn in physical retail sales across the economy’s top categories of groceries, fashion, medicine/toiletries and furniture/hardware.

The 2022 South African Digital Customer Experience Report is authored by Charlie Stewart, CEO of Rogerwilco, Amanda Reekie, founder of online research platform Ovatoyou, and Julia Ahlfeldt, from Julia Ahlfeldt CX Consulting. Findings are based on the responses from 2,000 South Africans. While the three authors offer the primary insights into the data, the report is also peppered with considerations from 11 seasoned industry veterans including senior marketers from Meta, Woolworths, Zando, TFG, Luno and the V&A Waterfront.

Offline gets a shot in the arm from online activity

Up until very recent times, the very notion of online meant web or app. This could not be further from the current truth. Online refers to every single interaction a brand can have with its customers, through a multitude of digital touchpoints. This includes social selling, marketplaces, search engines and reviews, among many more.

Consider how many consumers simply use the internet to browse for products, only to buy them in store when discounts come around, or those who consume reviews so as to get a true and accurate picture of what they are considering to purchase, before any money is exchanged.

Social selling is a significant area to note, accounting for 10% of all e-commerce sales. As part of the ‘new’ online journey, it is done through buying directly via Instagram, Facebook Shops and WhatsApp, where these portals are as much online pathways to purchase as a now ‘old-school’ e-commerce website is.

“What we need to acknowledge is that online is far more complex than we had realised – and that selling can come from almost anywhere online,” says Julia Ahlfeldt. “Brands need to grasp that new channels of trade are on the rise, and that even if purchases don’t happen online, that’s where many customer journeys begin. Brands may be missing valuable opportunities by limiting the channels that they trade through.”

Take Facebook and Instagram as a case in point: 48% of consumers purchase through these social media platforms.

It’s key to also note, she says, that it’s not just small businesses who are leaning into these ‘alternative’ e-commerce commercial avenues, but global juggernauts such as H&M too.

Following the digital crumbs to the storefront

In this fourth annual report, among the most significant insights is that online discovery and browsing morphs into a massive increase in offline sales.

While before brands may have dismissed a Google review potentially leading to an in-store purchase, it is imperative that they now take note that any activity taken online – browsing, researching, comparing, looking at reviews, etc. – is all done with a means to an end: the consumer wants something but is using the ease of use of online to gather all their information, even though they will most likely make the sale in the physical store.

Woolworths, for instance, notes that over 60% of its online browsers claim to buy in-store which has reinforced its focus to lead in omnichannel retail.

Charlie Stewart urges brands to reconsider their thinking, saying that “It’s dangerous to disregard other channels and transactions that contribute to the broader construct of online shopping – these are no longer niche behaviours. Our research suggests that it’s time to rethink – and broaden – their definition of e-commerce in keeping up with the actual consumer behaviour.”

Rise of the metaverse

Notwithstanding the integration between online and offline, one key finding from this year’s study is the emergence of the consumer interaction with the metaverse. Fascinatingly 53% claim to have never heard of it, while a further 23% don’t know what it is. Only one percent have actually bought something through the metaverse.

Fans are calling the Metaverse Web 3.0, while skeptics are calling it a gimmick. While it is still to be fully understood, a whopping 79% of surveyed consumers said they would engage with it in future, demonstrating that there’s clearly an eagerness to do so.

The last mile is the only mile

Never before has there been such competition among such an unsexy thing: logistics. Getting demand delivery right is the new commercial battlefield and it is those that deliver the fastest and at the best price that will win – particularly as consumers insist on next or same-day deliveries.

But, the financial reality is that while being first to drop and go is what the market wants, it is a high cost to company. Even Checkers’ Sixty60’s margins are small and one could argue don’t necessarily warrant the expense of a delivery. But on-demand is the new normal and brands have little choice but to make their deliveries accessible, seamless and affordable – while still finding ways to be financially sustainable.

“The reality is it is expensive to run a fleet of drivers, delivering smallish items or a box of goods – and even more expensive if the goods need to be recollected if they are not the right size, etc. In this instance, some brands in the UK have even started charging consumers a fee for returns.

“Brands are either having to charge for shipping or get consumers to cross a minimum payment threshold to be eligible for free shipping and in so doing they risk the chance of cart abandonment as consumers are simply not willing to pay more for an item they’d find in store. It’s most definitely a conundrum for all brands, especially smaller brands who cannot absorb excess costs, but even larger businesses like Takealot are going to need to resolve this in the medium term,” says Reekie

Demonstrating this through the data, 65% of the sample said high shipping costs deterred them from checking out – up a staggering 14% from the 51% who listed this as a barrier in 2021. Unfortunately for brands, cost is now becoming a key factor in the delivery consideration process.

International brands set to shake-up local competition

Amazon, in a long-mooted move, will finally open in South Africa around February 2023. This is thrilling for consumers but a headache for local brands. Consider Takealot. Regarded as the darling of the e-commerce world (22% say it is their shopping place of choice), with its universe of products it is quick, easy and offers reliable delivery.

But in fewer than six months Amazon arrives on our shores and is expected to bring with it its suite of product catalogues as well as its vaunted Prime service, which bundles delivery with access to Amazon TV. Will the slick experience prove to be too much for Takealot loyalists to withhold?

“No brand, regardless of size or product, ‘owns’ the customer, conversely the customer is given a smorgasbord of shopping options, often comparing international sites or pages with local varieties. It’s certainly a dog-eat-dog world, which is why local brands must up their ante to guarantee that they can confidently stand-up against, or alongside, international apps, and offer a seamless customer experience that keeps up with the next best customer experience out there,” comments Ahlfeldt.

Good keeps brands in the game, bad does untold damage

Against all of this mentioned above, the hard facts are that consumers – when they are unhappy or disgruntled – will tell others about it: 43% will take their grievances to social media. Exactly half would tell their family and friends. “This puts huge pressure on brands. Given switching is so easy, brands need to retain their customers’ happiness and put in place guardrails to prevent issues from occurring as far as possible,” says Reekie.

Then there’s that little chestnut of cart abandonment. Seventy percent are pulling out from the sale at the last minute (down from 2021’s 76%) and are mostly frustrated by payment failure, high shipping fees, clunky sites and slow delivery. Given this, this year the authors estimate that the cost of cart abandonment could be as high as R26.621 billion.

When issues do invariably arise, consumers are still prone to turn to email and call centres first (21% each). But human interaction trumps even these traditional channels as consumers want a human to help them with their issue. And while chatbots may be quicker in theory, in reality they can backfire. This is evidenced by the fact that only 17% would turn to chat as their first port of call.

“It’s clear from this fourth year of research that consumers are savvier about how to use all of online, from social media to chat platforms, in addition to web and app, all the while expecting better service and delivery. They are beginning to dabble in new technologies while holding brands to account on their promises by reviewing products and services online before they buy offline. They indeed have all the power and can turn on a dime and switch brands instantly and spend elsewhere from the palm of their hands,” concludes Stewart.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M

How does wholesale work?

Wholesaling is the act of selling your products in bulk to another retailer, usually at a discount, who then sells the product to its customers at a higher price. It’s important to note that creating a wholesale channel for your online business does still allow you to sell your product to the end consumer.

As a wholesaler, you can sell to both consumers and other retailers. You don’t have to choose one or the other.

The first examples of wholesale businesses that might come to mind are probably large brick-and-mortar department stores, like Walmart or Target. Wholesale is, after all, often thought of as an old-fashioned business model that’s being disrupted by newer direct-to-consumer ecommerce businesses.

“One of the myths about wholesale ecommerce is that you need loads of cash to get started. While you do need some startup money to break into the wholesale market, there are ways to scale your growth. For example, reorganize your existing space to make room for your bulk products rather than renting a new storage space right off the bat. And don’t forget to negotiate with your suppliers—they tend to be more flexible when you’re making a large order.”——Simon Slade, founder of SaleHoo

However, in more recent years, wholesale has experienced a revolution of its own due to online selling sites like Amazon, Wish, and Wayfair. While ecommerce lets direct-to-consumer brands thrive by lowering the barrier to setting up shop, wholesale still offers consumers a convenient shopping experience where they can find everything they need in one place.

Is selling wholesale worth it?

This newer version of wholesaling, which often takes place in online marketplaces or through smaller boutiques, has advantages that attract direct-to-consumer brands, too. Here are three reasons why opening up a wholesale channel might benefit your business.

1. Increase sales without increasing marketing spend 

As a direct-to-consumer brand, a large amount of your budget needs to be allocated to marketing in order to grow. For every new customer acquired, there is often a cost, after all.

The most common myth is that B2B customers won’t shop online, so there’s limited growth potential. In truth, B2B ecommerce is experiencing massive growth and drives much higher revenue than B2C ecommerce.Shane Barker, digital marketing consultant

By selling your products wholesale, another business shoulders the cost of customer acquisition while you reinvest your time and money into other areas of your business.

2. Leverage other brands’ audiences to sell your product 

Just as acquiring new customers costs money, building a loyal audience of fans and customers is not an easy feat. By creating a wholesale partnership with an established brand that has already made a name for itself within your niche, you can leverage the company’s goodwill to get your product into customers’ hands.

3. Enter new markets with less risk

Expanding your business to a new country or territory comes with a series of associated costs, like warehousing and logistics. You might also have to start from scratch, marketing to a population that hasn’t heard of you.

Finding another retailer with an existing presence and supply chain in a new market can reduce the risk of international expansion by cutting your setup costs. 

Ultimately, a wholesale business model benefits both the retailer and the wholesaler by creating efficiencies. The retailer gets a new—often complementary—product to sell without investing in research and development, and the wholesaler saves money on marketing by gaining direct access to an existing customer base.

Best wholesale products to sell 

Education

There is a large annual market for education supplies. In the United States alone, there were more than 50.7 million K–12 students, 26 million students enrolled in college/higher education institutions, and more than 3.2 million teachers employed in public schools in 2020.

Below are some education products to consider wholesaling:

• Arts and crafts supplies
• Educational software
• Writing utensils
• Notebooks/folders/binders
• Computers
• Calculators
• Backpacks
• Textbooks
• Lunchboxes
• Toys/games/puzzles

Home décor

According to Statista, 76% of US homeowners made at least one home improvement in 2020 during the pandemic. Home décor is a solid market for the wholesaling business. 

Some home décor products to consider wholesaling are:

• Frames/wall art
• Candles and candle holders
• Pots/vases/plants
• Wallpaper/paint
• Flooring
• Rugs/runners
• Throw pillows and blankets
• Furniture
• Storage and organization
• Lamps/lighting
• Bedding

Clothing and accessories

Whether it’s clothes for work, day-to-day, or special occasions, everyone needs to wear something. That’s why fashion is a large and ever-growing market. In 2021, the accessory market alone made $94 billion in revenue in the US.

Some popular product types to consider are:

• Baby
• Children
• Women
• Men
• Formal
• Casual
• Activewear
• Business
• Scarves
• Hats
• Jewelry
• Shoes

Food

Every human on this planet needs food, and will continue to need food for the rest of their lives. So this is an obvious category to wholesale, as the demand will always be there.

Below are some food products to consider wholesaling:

• Beverages
• Dairy
• Ice cream
• Oils and shortening
• Beef
• Pork
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Frozen
• Fresh produce
• Chips/crackers
• Dessert
• Organic
• Low-carb
• Keto products

Purses and handbags 

About $2.77 billion worth of women’s handbags were imported into the US in 2020. Don’t be fooled by the specificity of the category—this is a huge market.

Below are some types of purses and handbags to consider selling wholesale:

• Totes
• Clutches
• Men’s bags
• Kids’ bags
• Wristlets
• Bucket
• Business
• Unisex
• Casual
• Travel

Kitchen materials 

There are well over one hundred cooking shows available to watch right now, not including spin-offs or syndicated shows. That means cooking, and what you use to cook with, have become purchases that more and more people have taken an interest in. Wholesaling kitchen materials is a business with the potential to last you a long time.

Below are some kitchen products to get your wholesaling business off the ground:

• Utensils
• Pots/pans
• Bowls/plates
• Platters
• Storage/organization
• Cabinets/shelving
• Knives
• Table linens
• Tables
• Chairs
• Appliances
• Glassware

Health and wellness 

The health and wellness industry is set to make well over $6 trillion a year by 2025. Research shows that the pandemic has driven people to care more about their health. 

Here are some health and wellness products that do well in this product category:

• Massagers
• Vitamins and supplements
• Lotions
• Anti-aging creams
• Skin care regimens
• Aromatherapy
• Fitness apparel
• Oils
• Candles/incense
• Yoga accessories
• Treadmills
• Organic beauty products

Pet supplies

US homes spent an average of $860 in 2020 on each pet in the home. It’s clear that getting into the pet supplies wholesale business is profitable. Here are some products to consider:

• Toys
• Treats
• Food
• Health care
• Cleaning supplies
• Grooming
• Bowls/feeders
• Clothing and accessories
• Leashes, collars, and harnesses
• Crates, cages, and aquariums
• Beds/bedding

Party supplies 

Despite the pandemic’s global grip in 2021, the party planning market still reached $3 billion. Wholesaling party supplies not only gives you a variety of products to sell, it gives you volume as well. Plus, the market doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Here are some products to consider in this category:

• Linens
• Balloons
• Party favors
• Disposable tableware
• Banquet equipment
• Backdrops
• Décor
• Centerpieces
• Lighting/candles
• Flowers

How to sell wholesale products

Now that you have your wholesale pricing strategy figured out and a wholesale channel set up in your store, it’s time to search for prospective wholesale customers. But where do you find these retailers, and how can you increase sales? 

Join a wholesale marketplace 

Retailers today can find and order products from wholesale marketplaces. Aside from selling wholesale to retailers in your own ecommerce store, you can also join a popular marketplace to build brand awareness and reach new buyers. 

Do research on prospective marketplaces to make sure they’re the right fit. You want the marketplace to easily integrate with your store. 

Use your direct-to-consumer website 

Oftentimes, a retail customer will actually find you first. If you’ve had success with direct-to-consumer advertising, you’ve possibly already received messages from distributors who want to carry your product online or in their physical stores. 

When you are advertising to consumers online, you are also reaching other business owners who might be interested in carrying your product. This is why it’s important to keep a link in your website footer for wholesale inquiries: so anyone browsing your website can easily contact you about potential opportunities. 

Start selling wholesale today

The rise of ecommerce has allowed direct-to-consumer brands to launch faster and grow digitally. As a result, many had written off selling wholesale items as a fading retail trend. However, a new wave of wholesale startups are actually thriving in the era of ecommerce by rethinking the way wholesale works. 

Both direct-to-consumer brands looking for new sales channels and entrepreneurs who want to save on marketing spend are opening wholesale businesses. With the right pricing strategy and a little know-how, you can start opening your business up to new revenue-generating partnerships and see your product flourish among complementary brands.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on:https://bit.ly/3ks

YouTube is the second most popular social network in the world, averaging 2.6 billion active users a month and a whopping 1 billion hours of videos watched daily. As a go-to search engine for many, with a growing user base, the opportunities for business are huge. In this article, we break down how to sell on YouTube. Whether your brand is starting a YouTube channel for the first time or you’re a content creator with a small following looking to sell merch, look no further than these five easy ways to get you started.

1. Set up a YouTube channel

Before you start selling on YouTube, you’ll need to create a YouTube channel.

1. Create a Google account. If you use Gmail, Google Maps or any other Google apps, you most likely have an account and can skip to the next step.
   The name and email address are not publicly viewable on your YouTube channel, so no need to worry about that during the setup. Once you’ve set up your Google account, you will automatically have a personal YouTube account.
2. Create a YouTube Brand Account by going to your YouTube account page. Simply click ‘Create a Channel’, and enter a brand name.
3. Customize your YouTube Profile in your channel dashboard. Be sure to go through all three tabs: Layout, Branding, and Basic Info, to optimize your channel for discovery.

You’re all set! Some of the perks of having a YouTube brand account include YouTube Analytics, multiple account admins, and both name and appearance customization to match your brand.

2. What you need to sell on YouTube

Before you start creating video content to sell on YouTube, be sure to have checked off the following three things:

Video setup

Since YouTube is a video platform, it’s important to have a solid video setup to produce high-quality content. Most smartphones nowadays shoot 4K video, or at the very least, 1080p, a great option if you’re not looking to invest in a pricey professional camera.

Additionally, it might be worth adding a few other items to your kit to take your videos to the next level. Consider the following items for your video setup to sell on YouTube:

• A tripod: an absolute must for steady shots, plus this will make filming with different angles easy.
• Lighting: investing in a simple lighting setup will not only elevate the quality of your videos but allow you to shoot at any time of the day. Plenty of budget-friendly options are available on the market depending on what you’re looking for.
• Microphone: a microphone is worth considering if you plan on doing voice-overs or chatty videos. The enhanced sound quality makes a world of difference.
• Video editing software: editing software will go a long way, even if you’re just looking to make some simple tweaks. If you’re a Mac user, iMovie is an excellent option for beginners and, similarly, Movie Maker, its Windows counterpart.

Website or landing page

To sell on YouTube, you’ll need a website or landing page to link to your videos and ultimately drive traffic to.

You want to create content that naturally drives your audience to your linked website. For instance, popular Gen Z YouTuber Emma Chamberlain created a video trying viral coffee recipes to announce the relaunch of her brand, Chamberlain Coffee.

You can link to a dedicated page in your video to take it a step further. For example, Depop mogul turned designer, Internet Girl, uses her YouTube channel to share long-format vlogs of her process styling customers who purchase her famed “bundles”, which she links to in the description of her video.

Create a posting schedule

The key to building an engaged audience is posting consistently. Creating a posting schedule will help streamline your workflow and make regular posting feel far less daunting.

Your YouTube channel is likely part of a larger marketing strategy. Therefore, building a marketing calendar is a helpful tool for staying on top of your campaigns and key milestones for your brand. You can customize your calendar to include your social platforms, important dates, and other relevant information that will help you stay on top of publishing consistent and creative content.

3. Create engaging content

Arguably the most important factor to successfully selling on YouTube is to create engaging content. The last thing you want is to create videos that feel like ads, especially since viewers are bombarded by them as is, and are likely on YouTube for useful and interesting content. Toss your sales pitch out the window and consider these three strategies to create a meaningful connection with your audience that converts.

Identify trends within your niche

One of the most popular and effective ways to drive traffic to your videos is by identifying video trends within your niche or trends that you can tailor to your niche. This is useful for two reasons; to determine topic ideas that generate interest and to capitalize on breakout topics with solid interest and less competition.

Videos based on these topics are more likely to be picked up by the YouTube algorithm and shown as ‘Suggested Videos’ and on users’ homepages.

Use these three tricks to find trends:

1. YouTube Trending Videos.
   
   YouTube’s Trending Page features a curated list of viral videos that categorize what’s trending based on different categories: Now, Music, Gaming, and Movies. This list is updated every 15 minutes to reflect the latest trends accurately.
   
2. Scope out similar brands and creators.
   
   Study your competitors to see what videos they’re creating and how well they’re performing. This will give you valuable insight into what topics resonate with your shared demographic and how you can emulate and
   innovate those ideas.
   
3. Google Trends for YouTube.
   
   Google Trends for YouTube is a great keyword research tool that displays how popular a topic is relative to other topics from YouTube search queries. Not only can you find the most up-to-date stats but also sort through interest by region, interest over time, and related breakout topics.

Leverage YouTube’s resources

As other social media platforms rise in popularity, such as TikTok and Twitch, YouTube has adapted its platform to include similar competitive features such as YouTube Shorts and YouTube Live.

YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts are short-form (60 seconds or less), vertical format videos, often filmed using a smartphone and uploaded directly within the YouTube app. What’s great about YouTube Shorts is its ability to convert viewers into subscribers to your channel, a must if you’re looking to ultimately sell and expand your audience.

Check out how Shopify merchant Simji uses Shorts to show the behind-the-scenes process of making their rugs.

YouTube Live

YouTube Live is the second most popular live-streaming site. Because the YouTube algorithm favors live videos, if your stream fits into someone’s niche, you’ll find many more viewers tuning in.

Not only is it a feature guaranteed to drive more traffic to your channel, but is also a great way to engage with your viewers in real-time and use hype to garner more interest. The interactive format translates well to commerce because creators can directly respond to viewers, and even invite them on, which further builds a sense of trust between both parties. Popular beauty YouTuber, Jackie Aina, did just that by hosting a live-stream event to sell her FORVR Mood candles.

Live streams stay up on your YouTube channel after its initial broadcast, making them a great source of evergreen content for viewers who were unable to join or would like to re-watch.

Popular video ideas

Still stumped on what videos to create? Consider these ideas as starting points and let your creativity run wild.

How-to videos

Since YouTube is one of the most popular search engines, consider creating how-to videos that answer common questions. What’s great about these videos is they often fall under the category of evergreen content, which refers to content that is continually relevant.

Shopify merchant, Quench Soap, uses her YouTube channel to share how-to videos of the making of some of her products. These double as behind-the-scenes content, which tends to perform well by reassuring customers of your product’s quality and giving an inside look at the manufacturing process.

Industry-focused videos

Q&A and brand-specific videos have limited audience potential, which will only take you so far, especially if you’re just starting out on YouTube. This is why industry-focused videos are the way to go and, when done right, have the potential to reach a much larger audience. These videos should offer solutions to common problems in your niche, provide interesting facts, or share other insights that you, as an expert, have in the field.

Check out Brad Mondo’s video, in which he breaks down how to determine your hair type and uses the video to showcase the benefits of his own hair care line, XMONDO, for each hair type.

4. YouTube Ecommerce

Now that you’re acquainted with YouTube and have some content strategies down, let’s take a look at how to take advantage of YouTube’s selling potential and boost your e-commerce sales.

YouTube Partner Program

The YouTube Partner Program allows creators of a certain size to monetize their videos. There are specific eligibility requirements your channel must meet to be able to become a partner.

Currently, the requirements are as follows:

• Have at least 1000 subscribers.
• Have more than 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months.
• Have no active Community Guidelines strikes on your channel.
• Live in a country/region where the YouTube Partner Program is available.
• Have a linked AdSense account.

Once you’ve been accepted, you’ll be able to make ad revenue, deals with advertisers, and have better luck with the YouTube algorithm because of monetization.

How to sell merch on YouTube

Selling merch on YouTube can be a lucrative revenue stream and is feasible whether you have a small or large following. Plus, setting up your own store gives you, the creator, full control of your brand, products, and values without relying on legally binding contracts.

Selling merch is also a great way to engage your fans, allowing them to support you while getting something in return.

The two most popular types of merch to sell on YouTube are:

• Physical Merch
  Physical merchandise can include everything from typical fan merchandise (your slogan/brand on t-shirts, hats, mugs, etc.) to art prints or handmade items.
• Digital Merch
  Digital merchandise has become increasingly popular over the last several years and is topical for many creators, considering their jobs. Digital merchandise can include filter presets, smartphone icons, and digital instructions for a recipe or craft. What’s great about this type of merch is its instant delivery and ability for customization.

Include product links

The goal of promoting your brand on YouTube is to ultimately sell products which is why including product links is so important. The most common way to include links is in the description of your video, where you can link products mentioned in your video for helpful reference or link out to your storefront.

Integrate your store

Integrating your store is a step up from including product links in the description of your video. This method takes a bit more time because you need to be eligible for monetization in the YouTube Partner Program and have a Shopify store. However, the benefits of YouTube Shopping far outweigh solely including product links for these reasons:

• Up-to-date product imagery and price shown
• Out-of-stock products auto-unlinked
• Products shown at correct time during videos
• Orders attributed to YouTube in admin
• Picture-in-picture playback on mobile on Lives

The YouTube Shopping integration allows successful content creators to connect their Shopify store to their channel and sell via their channel page and videos.

Check out this example of Beardbrand’s store integration, allowing viewers to shop the products featured in the video.

5. Streamline your marketing strategy

Implementing all the tips and tricks you’ve learned so far won’t be enough unless you have a streamlined marketing strategy in place. Keep these top tips in mind to take your channel to the next level.

Collaborate with other channels or influencers

Commonly referred to as “collabing,” this is a great way to promote your channel and products to new audiences. Typically YouTubers will partner with similar creators on videos that are published on both parties’ accounts.

For example, Rclbeauty101 collabed with Bethany Mota, creating a video each for their respective channels.

Bethany Mota and Rclbeauty101 both make beauty, fashion, and lifestyle-related content. The collaboration was an effective way to promote each of their brands to their similar audiences.

Another great option is to partner with influencers to get your brand out there. When making purchasing decisions, people tend to trust other people more than they do advertisements. This is why partnering with an influencer with a following that aligns with your target audience can be beneficial.

Call to action

It’s essential to always include calls to action. If a viewer is intrigued enough to click on your video and watch it, it won’t be difficult to convert them to follow through with subscribing, liking the video, or clicking a link. Make sure to incorporate several calls to action throughout your video. The goal isn’t to necessarily have viewers immediately buy something but rather to be engaged enough to stick around, grow a connection with your brand, and trust that your products are worth buying.

Optimize for SEO

When done right, SEO has countless benefits, including increasing video ranking, traffic, more sales, and leads. Here are the two ways you can use SEO to rank higher in search.

Take advantage of transcripts

Subtitles are not only great for accessibility but are also favored by the algorithm. This is because when you insert a .srt file into your videos, the algorithm has more information to understand your content and ultimately help it perform better. Transcribing your content is a small step that will take your videos a long way.

Write great video titles and descriptions

Your video title and description are the first things your viewers will read and need to be optimized for maximum engagement. While it might seem obvious, you want to make your video titles, and descriptions relevant to the search query. To do this, include the main keywords and specify who your content is for. Make sure your title and description are to the point, interesting, and speak to your audience.

How to sell on YouTube: summary

Here’s a summary of the five ways to sell on YouTube:

1. Set up a YouTube channel
2. Have a solid video setup, website, or landing page, and create a consistent posting schedule
3. Create great content by identifying trending opportunities and maximizing YouTube’s resources
4. Make money on YouTube by selling merch, joining the Partner Program, and integrating your store
5. Streamline your marketing strategy

Remember, selling on YouTube means playing the long game. Creating great videos and building a community will naturally bring traffic and sales to your ecommerce store.

Plus, YouTube isn’t just beneficial for selling but also allows successful creators multiple routes to monetization including ad revenue sharing, premium membership fee sharing, and tipping to name a few. All this to say, investing in YouTube creates a more sustainable income route to creators than many other creator platforms.

Now that you know the ins and outs of how to sell on YouTube, there’s no better time to start than right now.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on:https://bit.ly/3ks

Due to the pandemic, the global economic climate has remained unstable and volatile during the last two years. Global inflation is expected to increase by around 10%, and with supply chain disruptions and economic uncertainty on the rise, consumer purchasing power is decreasing. However, even in the face of hardship, retailers should look for the positives.

However, even in the face of hardship, retailers should look for the positives.

Digital engagement is at an all-time high, according to Salesforce’s Q1 Shopping Index. In fact, the two year online sales growth rate in Q1 is at 65% globally. This demonstrates that businesses have significant opportunities to engage clients and sell things online, but only if they do so successfully.

1. Enhance customer engagement online

In a time where purchasing power is low, customers must be inspired. With limitless possibilities and decision-making challenges at an all-time high, assisting consumers in avoiding choice paralysis is crucial. Rather than presenting large lists of products and prices accessible via filters, businesses can ensure the correct products are in front of the right customers by leveraging digital platforms.

Wherever consumers are browsing, collecting data at every touch point will help retailers get to know their clientele better and provide personalised experiences. Being able to share information and offers at the right time, based on previous interactions and tailored to customers’ needs, will keep them invested, and therefore investing.

To achieve this, retailers must rely not only on their own channels, but also harness the personalisation power of social media to drive awareness and sales. According to Statista, in 2020, the number of social media users globally stood at over 3.6 billion – nearly half of the world’s population. This presents a huge opportunity for brands to continue elevating their targeting capabilities and unlocking new audiences in the digital sphere.

2. A well integrated ecosystem is vital

Integrating a seamless experience across all devices is essential to securing and retaining business. While desktop websites used to be seen as the most important online purchasing platform, shopping traffic from mobile devices has remained at 71% over the last nine quarters.

In order for businesses to engage customers cross-device, it’s important for them to invest equally in their digital ecosystem. In a digital purchasing landscape, shoppers expect to seamlessly move from app to app, and from one device to another with the same experience.

However with the return of in-store shopping, the physical retail realm should also not be forgotten. Ensuring the transition between physical stores and all digital devices is as seamless as possible is essential, not only to engage customers, but to ensure they follow through to purchase.

3. Introduce ‘buy now pay later’ options

As consumers contend with inflation and higher prices across the board, they are less likely to purchase multiple high-priced items all in one go. Flexible payment options such as Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) are offering a safety net for consumers in uncertain times.

By offering simple, transparent, and financially responsible payment tools, retailers can empower and encourage customers to invest in their products without financial stress. Not only does this help to build trust and loyalty amongst existing customers, but it opens them up to new customers who may have overlooked their business before.

Amid a global inflation hike and a reduction in purchasing power for consumers, the retail industry must adapt. Through optimising their entire purchasing ecosystem, to driving personalisation and developing schemes that help consumers with finance management, retailers must work harder to attract and retain customers.

Ultimately, this evolving economic landscape must be seen as an opportunity. Only then, will retailers ensure they continue enticing customers and delivering profit during a global purchase decline.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on:https://bit.ly/3ks

Despite the harsh economic and social climate, the longer-term trend in trading densities (sales per square metre) in more than 100 shopping centres in South Africa and Namibia shows a clear improvement since the 2020/21 Covid-induced downturn in performance.

In many respects, in looking at this revival, current times can be likened to a renaissance.

The Renaissance was a fervent period of cultural, artistic, economic and political rebirth and innovation. It is also a time that celebrates humanity and life.

Today we note Covid-19 sped up many trends and made people reconsider their lives, world and values, and has inspired extensive innovative thought.

In our modern renaissance, we must understand key contemporary global consumer influences as we navigate turbulence to profitability into the future. What are these influences?

People want to fall in love with life again

A desire for a life affair sees a holistic approach being embraced, spanning body, mind and spirit. This encompasses wellness, diet, exercise, home and pets, self-improvement, mindfulness, kindness and sensitivity.

Underpinning this is a drive to work smarter and allow more time for life experiences on the back of a hybrid work model and a potential four-day work week in the UK and Europe.

Gone are the days of padded slow-moving corporate existence. The new way cuts out unnecessary work steps, streamlines and gets straight to the point: shortening work, and extending life.

Lessening of lockdowns and restrictive measures has led to the emergence of ‘revenge travel’, an indulgent splurging vacation full of luxuries and experiences, to offset lost time.

Dignity is the new cultural attitude

Diversity, inclusivity, fluidity, neutrality, tolerance and equality have set the foundation for a greater cultural shift embracing dignity. This is based on cornerstones of acceptance and belonging. Movements related to Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ2S+, Women’s Rights and abortion ruling protests all highlight this evolving social value, which is echoed in SA.

Take note of Sofia Jirau, the first model with Down’s syndrome to pose for Victoria’s Secret, Lebohang Monyatsi, SA’s first wheelchair model, and Precious Lee, a plus-size model, who became the new face of Versace.

Make-up for men is becoming mainstream as evidenced by the success in the UK and the US of the War Paint brand. An attitude of dignity must reflect as a key value in the way brands communicate and engage with their audience.

The Respect Economy sets a new framework for life

Stark recognition of the impact of daily life on the environment has led to a new value system driven by ethics, thoughtfulness and innovation. Key to this is responding to climate change, emissions, animal rights and managing the protein supply chain.

The global and SA retail industry is embracing this in multiple ways.

Pioneering internationally competitive SA bio-tech start-ups are attracting significant interest and funding.

Mzansi Meat Co. is bringing cultivated meat to Africa, reimagining food systems by growing affordable, sustainable and healthy meat from cells, with no harm to animals. Inseco converts low-value organic by-products into nutritious insect ingredients, and Plato’s is making crisps from recycled beer grains.

Innovations in textile, leather, cellular agriculture and insect solutions, will change apparel and food consumption patterns altering fashion, grocery store and restaurant offerings, along with veganism, upcycling and re-apparelling.

Omniverse is the new universe

People are increasingly living between two worlds, the physical and virtual. This has massive implications for many areas of life and retail. We have moved from physical to online to omnichannel retail to the metaverse.

Shopping centres need to exist in all these realms and successfully manage this new multi-dimensional mix.

Whilst some mind-blowing “phygital” stores have been created, the metaverse still needs to mature and is an important space to be watched. Ultimately, physical retail is at the heart of all of these formats, and is an established place where humanity connects, and has a full sensory and authentically social experience.

“Respec-tech”, technology that respects life and sets the rules for engagement in our multi-dimensional society, is crucial.

Age convergence is driving a major shift in the basic infrastructure of society

A convergence of knowledge, communication and innovation across generations is eliminating traditional age distinctions, almost creating an ageless world. Youth are informed beyond their years via technology access, whilst their elders are ever-younger in looks, attitude, health and tech-savvy. The generation gap is now less relevant.

There is disruption of traditional age/ work/ living/ income structures, with funding concerns about affordable retirement, health care and living standards in an overpopulated world with limited resources.

An interesting trend is emerging with younger generations viewing time as a currency worth more than money. This clearly shows a shift towards prioritising life.

Today we see multigenerational living development formats and “refirement” with retirees launching and engaging in new ventures. Workplace synergy of older wisdom and experience and younger energy and impulsiveness could create a powerful force to be directed and funded.

The border between art and technology is blurring, creating new frontiers

We are living in highly creative times, with limitless intertwined possibilities influencing art, technology and artificial intelligence. Physical, touchable art is complemented by digital purely visual art, which doesn’t really exist and is selling for a fortune such as Beeple’s non-fungible token fetching $69m at Christie’s.

AI sees robots increasingly assisting with inventory, crop spraying, security, cleaning and in some cases, art creation from oceanic plastic pollution such as at Selfridges in London. Digital, immersive, moving art and robotics offer novelty experiential and practical applications and installations to retailers and shopping centres across physical and other channels.

Design, a force to be harnessed for the good of the world

Design as a general theme is evolving rapidly, but of specific importance is the way it may influence how and where we live.

Latest advancements showcase innovative use of containers and homes and structures that unfold and build themselves in a matter of minutes, with potential upliftment and lifesaving use in various scenarios.

Further, we are now seeing the development of self-contained floating cities in areas threatened by climate change, as in the Maldives.

The first signs of a mobile way of life and mobile communities are starting to emerge. Do we need to start thinking about mobile and floating shopping centres?

The fundamental differential

As we return to a more interactive life, the fundamental differential has to be the experience that is offered within the bricks and mortar of the physical shopping centre. The values of what has emerged as an enlightened centre must be contained in the in-store, centre and entertainment experiential aspects.

Centres must therefore celebrate humanity, be emotionally intelligent, and hold a rich sense of life.

In addition, personal touch, and an important relationship economy, underpinned by excellent service, customer knowledge, thoughtfulness and philanthropy are coming to the fore as people value these aspects highly after isolation and ongoing hard times.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M

Despite the harsh economic and social climate, the longer-term trend in trading densities (sales per square metre) in more than 100 shopping centres in South Africa and Namibia shows a clear improvement since the 2020/21 Covid-induced downturn in performance.

In many respects, in looking at this revival, current times can be likened to a renaissance.

The Renaissance was a fervent period of cultural, artistic, economic and political rebirth and innovation. It is also a time that celebrates humanity and life.

Today we note Covid-19 sped up many trends and made people reconsider their lives, world and values, and has inspired extensive innovative thought.

In our modern renaissance, we must understand key contemporary global consumer influences as we navigate turbulence to profitability into the future. What are these influences?

People want to fall in love with life again

A desire for a life affair sees a holistic approach being embraced, spanning body, mind and spirit. This encompasses wellness, diet, exercise, home and pets, self-improvement, mindfulness, kindness and sensitivity.

Underpinning this is a drive to work smarter and allow more time for life experiences on the back of a hybrid work model and a potential four-day work week in the UK and Europe.

Gone are the days of padded slow-moving corporate existence. The new way cuts out unnecessary work steps, streamlines and gets straight to the point: shortening work, and extending life.

Lessening of lockdowns and restrictive measures has led to the emergence of ‘revenge travel’, an indulgent splurging vacation full of luxuries and experiences, to offset lost time.

Dignity is the new cultural attitude

Diversity, inclusivity, fluidity, neutrality, tolerance and equality have set the foundation for a greater cultural shift embracing dignity. This is based on cornerstones of acceptance and belonging. Movements related to Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ2S+, Women’s Rights and abortion ruling protests all highlight this evolving social value, which is echoed in SA.

Take note of Sofia Jirau, the first model with Down’s syndrome to pose for Victoria’s Secret, Lebohang Monyatsi, SA’s first wheelchair model, and Precious Lee, a plus-size model, who became the new face of Versace.

Make-up for men is becoming mainstream as evidenced by the success in the UK and the US of the War Paint brand. An attitude of dignity must reflect as a key value in the way brands communicate and engage with their audience.

The Respect Economy sets a new framework for life

Stark recognition of the impact of daily life on the environment has led to a new value system driven by ethics, thoughtfulness and innovation. Key to this is responding to climate change, emissions, animal rights and managing the protein supply chain.

The global and SA retail industry is embracing this in multiple ways.

Pioneering internationally competitive SA bio-tech start-ups are attracting significant interest and funding.

Mzansi Meat Co. is bringing cultivated meat to Africa, reimagining food systems by growing affordable, sustainable and healthy meat from cells, with no harm to animals. Inseco converts low-value organic by-products into nutritious insect ingredients, and Plato’s is making crisps from recycled beer grains.

Innovations in textile, leather, cellular agriculture and insect solutions, will change apparel and food consumption patterns altering fashion, grocery store and restaurant offerings, along with veganism, upcycling and re-apparelling.

Omniverse is the new universe

People are increasingly living between two worlds, the physical and virtual. This has massive implications for many areas of life and retail. We have moved from physical to online to omnichannel retail to the metaverse.

Shopping centres need to exist in all these realms and successfully manage this new multi-dimensional mix.

Whilst some mind-blowing “phygital” stores have been created, the metaverse still needs to mature and is an important space to be watched. Ultimately, physical retail is at the heart of all of these formats, and is an established place where humanity connects, and has a full sensory and authentically social experience.

“Respec-tech”, technology that respects life and sets the rules for engagement in our multi-dimensional society, is crucial.

Age convergence is driving a major shift in the basic infrastructure of society

A convergence of knowledge, communication and innovation across generations is eliminating traditional age distinctions, almost creating an ageless world. Youth are informed beyond their years via technology access, whilst their elders are ever-younger in looks, attitude, health and tech-savvy. The generation gap is now less relevant.

There is disruption of traditional age/ work/ living/ income structures, with funding concerns about affordable retirement, health care and living standards in an overpopulated world with limited resources.

An interesting trend is emerging with younger generations viewing time as a currency worth more than money. This clearly shows a shift towards prioritising life.

Today we see multigenerational living development formats and “refirement” with retirees launching and engaging in new ventures. Workplace synergy of older wisdom and experience and younger energy and impulsiveness could create a powerful force to be directed and funded.

The border between art and technology is blurring, creating new frontiers

We are living in highly creative times, with limitless intertwined possibilities influencing art, technology and artificial intelligence. Physical, touchable art is complemented by digital purely visual art, which doesn’t really exist and is selling for a fortune such as Beeple’s non-fungible token fetching $69m at Christie’s.

AI sees robots increasingly assisting with inventory, crop spraying, security, cleaning and in some cases, art creation from oceanic plastic pollution such as at Selfridges in London. Digital, immersive, moving art and robotics offer novelty experiential and practical applications and installations to retailers and shopping centres across physical and other channels.

Design, a force to be harnessed for the good of the world

Design as a general theme is evolving rapidly, but of specific importance is the way it may influence how and where we live.

Latest advancements showcase innovative use of containers and homes and structures that unfold and build themselves in a matter of minutes, with potential upliftment and lifesaving use in various scenarios.

Further, we are now seeing the development of self-contained floating cities in areas threatened by climate change, as in the Maldives.

The first signs of a mobile way of life and mobile communities are starting to emerge. Do we need to start thinking about mobile and floating shopping centres?

The fundamental differential

As we return to a more interactive life, the fundamental differential has to be the experience that is offered within the bricks and mortar of the physical shopping centre. The values of what has emerged as an enlightened centre must be contained in the in-store, centre and entertainment experiential aspects.

Centres must therefore celebrate humanity, be emotionally intelligent, and hold a rich sense of life.

In addition, personal touch, and an important relationship economy, underpinned by excellent service, customer knowledge, thoughtfulness and philanthropy are coming to the fore as people value these aspects highly after isolation and ongoing hard times.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M

In our new era of work-from-home, the retail sector has had to adapt to and adopt a flexible approach with more innovative strategies to adjust to new customer habits and behaviours. This has meant a focus on consumer experience, with customer journeys increasingly occurring on online digital platforms.

A dominant channel for communicating retail messaging is through email marketing, which continues to evolve as businesses experiment with different tactics and approaches to make their emails more interactive.

The best in retail marketing

Everlytic, South Africa’s largest digital messaging platform partnered with behavioural communications firm BreadCrumbs Linguistics to analyse the top 50 mailers sent by retailers through the Everlytic platform in 2021. The data was pulled from 2.4 billion bulk emails that retail clients sent during the year, with ranking done according to key engagement metrics, including open rates and click-through rates.

The report focuses on the linguistic elements that correlate with mailer engagement success using the framework of Behavioural Linguistics; a science that looks at how language influences action. In direct mailer marketing, the action wanted is for mailer recipients to a) open the mailer and b) engage with the communication by clicking at least one link in the mailer.

As part of the dataset, 15 organisations accounted for the top 50 emails sent – taken from a client database of 197 retail brands.

Key findings:

Reference to incentives like discounts, credits, and freebies boosted consumer engagement, particularly where these were positioned as ‘reserved’ or ‘waiting’ for the consumer.
Language of exclusivity, where consumers feel unique and special, drove better engagement rates.
Language of scarcity, where there was reference to a limited time or quantity of the sales item, encouraged more urgency for action.
Visual language that used animated GIFs to showcase the retail product increased interest and engagement.
Retail emails that used a secondary handwriting font to elicit personalisation received better click-through rates.
Sales communications with a single-minded message and one call-to-action button were more likely to get engagement.
Call-to-action buttons that were a bright, bold colour received more click-throughs.
Linguistic tools like alliteration and onomatopoeia made brand writing more interesting and attractive, resulting in more persuasive copy and boosted engagement.

Boosting business communications

Behavioural nudges have emerged as one of the best ways to improve sales while still maintaining an end user’s freedom of choice. Communications that are framed with behavioural insights in mind benefit from the close link between language, behaviour, and decision-making.

Every type of marketing comes down to persuading a customer to give you a desired outcome: to pick your brand’s product or service. Through email marketing, being able to use words to inspire a positive reaction and action is an invaluable skillset – giving your business a critical competitive advantage.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, and more. With a successful track record of over 20,000 clients, we are sure to deliveryour orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow yourbusinesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3ks0m1M