Retail
Telkom Launches Digital Marketplace App to Help Small Businesses Grow
Image sourced from My Broadband To help the growth of small businesses in South Africa, Telkom Business has launched Yep! – a digital marketplace where customers can safely and confidently search and purchase from small, trusted businesses – available on Google Play and Apple’s app store. The app is geared toward economic sustainability, creating a long-term future for small businesses. “Think of Yep! as a ‘friend’ to small businesses, as it provides a scalable solution to help grow and enhance their reach,” says Lunga Siyo, CEO of Telkom Business. “The COVID-19 pandemic has far-reaching effects, none of which paint a bright future for many businesses and even more so in South Africa where small to medium-sized enterprises form the backbone of the economy.” Yep! users can easily locate the...
How COVID-19 has Influenced Online Shopping Habits
Sourced from Innovation Village. All things considered, it’s no surprise that eCommerce has fundamentally changed over the past few months. The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged consumers to switch to online shopping and contactless payment alternatives to abide with social distancing practices and lockdown regulations. Stats released by online payment gateway, PayFast show that Generation Z, aged 18 to 24, is paving the way for innovation in the eCommerce space, with Baby Boomers aged 55 to 64, not far behind. “The eCommerce boom was bound to happen, but COVID-19 definitely accelerated industry growth. We’ve seen adoption rates soar following on from the lockdown, this has occurred across age groups. Habits formed now are going to continue in the future,” says Jonathan Smit, MD and Founder...
Web Skimming – A New Way to Steal Payments from Online Shoppers
Sourced from IOL. Researchers from cybersecurity and antivirus experts, Kaspersky, have uncovered a new technique for stealing users’ payment information on online shopping websites – a type of attack known as web skimming. Web skimming is a popular practice used by attackers to steal users’ credit card details from the payment pages of online stores, whereby attackers inject pieces of code into the source code of the website. This malicious code then collects the data inputted by visitors to the site (i.e. payment account logins or credit card numbers) and sends the harvested data to the address specified by attackers. Often, to conceal the fact that the webpage has been compromised, attackers register domains with names that resemble popular web analytics services, such as Google Analyti...
South African Government Working on Plans to Re-Open Cinemas Across the Country
A new set of regulations gazetted by the SA government on Thursday shows that movie theatres might be opening again across the country sometime soon. Cinemas are currently closed, not allowed to operate during Level 3 of the national lockdown. For it now it seems that the new government regulations have included theatres and cinemas in an arrangement that allows competitors to negotiate amongst each other, and with their landlords in order to lower rent and allow for rent holidays. In normal times, these negotiations are restricted by South Africa’s competition laws. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_eae.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_eae.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “The Department (of trade and industry) has received representation from stakeholders in the cinema exhibition ind...
Kenya Loses Over $900-Million to Illicit Trade According to Report
Sourced from Business Daily Africa. The Anti-Counterfeit Authority of Kenya has released findings of the National Baseline Survey on the extent of counterfeit and other forms of illicit trade in the country. According to the study conducted between October 2019 and February 2020, the Government revenue lost in 2018 stood at KES102.99-billion up from KES101.23-billion in 2017. Around $900-million each year. From the 16 sectors of the economy that the study concentrated on, the most affected were building, mining and construction. These three sectors were specifically and heavily affected by counterfeiting with a share of 23.37% in value of total illicit trade, followed by energy, electrical and electronics with a share of 14.67% in 2018. The sectors where most government revenues were lost ...
How to Shop for Gadgets Online Like a Pro
If you want to shop for an electronic gadget online then you are probably wondering how to get the best deal. Shopping online is cool but it also has its shortcomings. You can lose cash buying the wrong gadget, or you might even get a faulty one that might lead to frustrations. Most gadgets are expensive, that’s why you must be careful not to lose your hard-earned cash as you shop. Let us look at some tips and tricks that will help you shop for your gadgets online like a pro. Research on an item before purchase Research on an item to compare brands’ prices and quality. Ensure that you get the best quality on your budget. You can get this information from a seller’s website but ensure that the manufacturer’s specifications are similar to those listed by the seller. In case of any variations...
Netflix to Start Cancelling Inactive Customer Subscriptions
Sourced from Getty Images. Netflix says it will begin to ask customers who have not watched anything on the on-demand video streaming service in a year or more if they wish to maintain their subscription — and will cancel their membership if it does not hear back. The company says it has started to notify customers who haven’t watched anything on the platform in 12 months since they became a subscriber to check if they wish to keep their membership. The company is also reaching out to those who haven’t streamed anything in more than two years, it says. “You know that sinking feeling when you realize you signed up for something but haven’t used it in ages? At Netflix, the last thing we want is people paying for something they’re not using,” the company writes. This unusual move illustrates ...
Facebook Unveils Shops – its New eCommerce Feature
Facebook has launched its latest eCommerce feature – Shops – which will enable businesses to set up an online store for customers to access across Facebook and Instagram. The company says that it is investing in features that inspire people to shop and make buying and selling online easier. This comes at a time when many businesses are struggling to keep their doors open due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social and economic activity. One way that they’re able to survive is by taking their stock online – something that Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg says they’re seeing a lot more. “If you can’t physically open your store or restaurant, you can still take orders online and ship them to people,” he says. “We’re seeing a lot of small businesses that never had online bu...
