Africa declares a new standard for its communications profession
For too long, the PR landscape has had no shared standard for who practises in it or what responsibility they carry, founders say.
E-COMMERCE
Amazon plans to launch online shopping in two African nations
By our News Team | 2022
Leaked documents published in the US apparently show that Amazon.com will target South Africa and Nigeria early next year.
E-commerce giant Amazon.com is planning to launch operations in both South Africa and Nigeria within the next year, according to international media reports.
The story was broken yesterday (Monday) by the US-based publication Business Insider, which cited leaked documents it has seen. Other media have since also reported the claims.
Timelines for the launches are supposedly February 2023 for South Africa and April 2023 for Nigeria. Both nations have strong e-commerce players of their own, which could be adversely impacted by the Amazon arrival. Among them are Jumia and Takealot.
Image by Preis_King from Pixabay
Amazon already has data centre infrastructure in Cape Town, which it opened in 2020. “In fact, a portion of [Amazon Web Services’] cloud offering was originally developed in Cape Town and the city is host to a large (and growing) Amazon software development centre,” the locally based technology website Tech Central said.
European and South American countries also being targeted
Other countries that are seemingly also being target by Amazon.com are Belgium, Chile and Colombia.
All countries mentioned in the leaked documents are apparently planning to launch with their own marketplace and access to Amazon’s fulfilment service, called Fulfillment by Amazon.
“Plans for the new marketplaces show how, even as Amazon dials back parts of its retail business in the US, it continues to invest in areas that can generate long-term growth,” Business Insider said.
“Amazon has an expanding global footprint, with marketplaces in 20 different countries. Most are in more mature economies, and Amazon has so far had a relatively small presence in emerging markets like South America and Africa.
For Amazon, expanding into more countries now makes sense. The company needs to generate more demand, as growth is slowing across the board following a two-year, pandemic-driven sales explosion.”
Researchers find a new way to enhance social media influencer messaging
By carefully selecting followers to engage with an influencer’s post, marketers can significantly increase the post’s spread.
Watchdog instructs auto brand to remove or amend TV ad campaign
SA’s Advertising Regulatory Board finds Kia advertisement could be offensive to people with certain health disorders.
The gap between AI’s efficiency promises and marketing reality
Global study finds AI is helping marketers produce more – but is not creating the time and creative space they expected.
Number of African megacities to increase from three to 17 by 2050
Urban Africa will double its footprint, adding the equivalent of more than 4,000 Manhattans or almost 400 Singapores, The Economist reports.
Nigeria’s Hyper City appoints CEO with strong Carrefour background
Luc Demez brings experience from Europe and African countries as the Carrefour brand looks to expand into Nigeria with a local partner.
Cracking the Africa Code: The functional path to market leadership
What makes brands successful in Africa? A summary of the award-winning paper presented at Esomar’s first conference in Africa.
‘What’s for dinner tonight, mom?’ Woolies’ AI chef may have the answer
Woolworths supermarket chain embraces an AI-powered chef as it leverages two decades of recipes to answer an age-old family question.
Demand for sportswear is sprinting ahead of the wider apparel market
Consumers are prioritising their wellness despite tighter wallets, meaning sportswear remains one of the most resilient areas of fashion.
Deadline looms for African marketing and supply chain awards
Nominations for the 2026 African Marketing Confederation and African Supply Chain Confederation awards close on 31 July.
Researchers study why negative brand news fails to deter some customers
Consumers may stick with troubled brands because their emotional attachment overrides the perceived risk, study finds.
