Here are three highlights that South African brands should take note of right now:

1. Customers Want Some Humanity with Their Tech:

The future of commerce is hurtling towards hyper-efficiency, moving customers from inspiration to purchase faster than ever. We call this "Compressed Commerce". 

This relentless focus on functionality risks stripping the joy out of shopping. Consumers crave engaging and entertaining shopping experiences.

This desire for engagement presents a significant opportunity for brands. Globally, 64% of consumers surveyed find online shopping uninspiring and an equal percentage wish brands and retailers would make the online shopping experience more entertaining. For generations, shopping has been a social experience.

As the world becomes increasingly automated, brands must find ways to inject creativity and playfulness into the digital shopping journey. 

2. The Future of Digital Commerce Is Social

Social media dominates digital behaviour in nearly all areas, but until now, there has been one glaring exception: the realm of commerce.

Social commerce is growing steadily and makes up only 6% of online purchases in South Africa. Yet even with that modest percentage, it's already proving extremely lucrative and is expected to grow exponentially by 2028.

Social commerce has created possibilities for small businesses. it is allowing primarily young people in South Africa a way of participating in the economy and the growing e-commerce market as a whole.

While South African brands contend with issues such as building consumer trust, ensuring data protection and creating seamless shopping experiences within social media platforms, more mature markets are starting to explore the potential that social commerce brings. 

Social commerce is evolving past the 'buy now' button on images or video content. Live stream shopping on platforms like TikTok means brands can leverage impulse purchase behaviour like never before; with shoppable AR filters, brands can drive digital sampling and implement a digital fitting room, allowing you to try on those shoes or that shade of lipstick all from your phone. 

Local brands could be leveraging WhatsApp better. It's the most widely used app in South Africa, but brands underutilise its business API, automated responses and in-chat shopping. Companies that personalise their WhatsApp experience with product recommendations and frictionless payments will gain a competitive edge. 

Other opportunities include developing partnerships with established e-commerce players and leveraging community commerce through influencers and peer-to-peer communication. 

3. Optichannel Is the New Omnichannel 

Tech-fatigued consumers are increasingly seeking refuge from digital overload, creating a market for experiences that prioritise real-world engagement, relationships and mental well-being. 

One of the leading tenets of business is to be where your customers are. But while new opportunities and approaches emerge seemingly every day, many brands and retailers would be wise to focus rather than fragment their efforts. 

The concept of "omnichannel" — aiming for presence on every available marketing channel — is difficult to achieve. In fact, 47% of brand leaders surveyed agreed there are too many channels for them to manage effectively.

The future belongs to "optichannel" marketing. Defined by strategic channel selection and personalised customer journeys, it's a more focused approach — you optimise around the channels that make the most sense. 

This means making deliberate choices about where to engage consumers, not simply trying to be everywhere. It also marks a new level of personalisation, using data to understand each customer's preferences and context so deeply that brands can deliver the right message at the right time on the right channel. 

Ultimately, the brands that will succeed in the commerce environment of tomorrow are those that can deliver the efficiency and convenience that tech enables with the humanity that customers still crave.

Tomorrow's Commerce draws on powerful data from The Future Shopper and Future 100 studies, plus the brainpower of VML experts worldwide. Unless otherwise stated, key statistics presented are based on The Future Shopper 2024 survey, an independent global survey canvassing the opinions of 31 500+ consumers across 19 markets.

Findings have been presented across five broad categories:

  • humanity
  • technology
  • channels, and 
  • logistics.

Download the full report here. 

For more information, visit www.vml.com. You can also follow VML on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or on TikTok. 

*Image courtesy of contributor