Filed under: Trends
‘The way a brand sounds should never be underestimated, because it can often be the deciding factor in a consumer’s choice. More than 40 percent of consumers believe the cell phone sound – that is, the sound of its ring – is more important than the phone’s design.
In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, Ronald E. Millman demonstrated that the pace of music playing in the background affected service, spending and traffic flow in stores and restaurants. The slower the music, the more people shop. The faster the tempo, the less they spend. Related studies have shown significantly longer dining times for restaurant tables when slow music was played. The result is more money being spent at the bar. The average bill for dinner was 29 percent higher with slower music than with fast.’
Filed under: Trends
Music is revolutionising the connection that retailers are making with consumers and helping to create environments where shoppers want to spend more and more time, says Craig Cesman, CEO of DMX Music. Research indicates that music is strongly cognitive and emotive, and has been proven to increase brand memorabillity, stimulate customer loyalty and increase the time spent in-store.
Filed under: Trends
The exclusive Cavendish Square in Cape Town became the first mall in the region to adopt Bluetooth as a customer communication medium, in what is becoming a more frequent way for major malls to communicate with customers.
Filed under: Local News
The commercial precinct in Rosebank, Johannesburg, is set for a major boost with the construction of a R623 million mixed-use development comprising retail space, a 160-room hotel, a four-level basement parking garage and loft offices. The development by Old Mutual Property Group is due to begin early in 2007.
Filed under: Opinion/Analysis
The Glass Recycling Company is South Africa’s new national organisation responsible for facilitating the recovery of waste glass for recycling, endorsed by the Ministry for Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Whether retailers and stockists of glass, and products in glass, should be supporting the initiative, is a question that begs answering.
Filed under: Local Company News
South African retail chain Edgars has been named as a finalist in the Emerging Market Retailer of the Year category of the inaugural World Retail Awards in London. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Barcelona, Spain, on 29 March 2007.
Filed under: Local News
An initiative late last year, aiming to help eliminate opportunities for crime in South African shopping centres and to promote greater safety for retailers and their customers, resulted in a decline in violent incidents during the festive season according to feedback from retailers.
Filed under: Trends
A recent survey by DMX Music and Vision On Research highlights the role of music in creating sales, retail brand loyalty and customer retention, particularly during key seasonal sales opportunities such as Valentine’s Day.
Filed under: Local News
Ailing or under-performing small to medium retail businesses operating in shopping centres stand to benefit from a business advisory project specifically designed to assist them that kicked off last week under the aegis of the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC), which is funding the project.
Filed under: Local News
By: Chris Moerdyk
Pick ‘n Pay’s PR is usually quite superb. Always coming out on the side of the consumer and as a tireless crusader against high prices. But, did it blunder this week by making such a powerful statement on e.tv news about pending prices increases or was it part of a very clever strategy?
