Retailers urged to digitalise operating systems

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has urged businesses to incorporate and embrace digitalisation in their models to enhance customer experience.

CZR president Denford Mutashu said in these “new normal” times it was important for retailers to embrace digital platforms and promote online presence.

“I understand that many retailers in the country have implemented technology solutions to improve both their back-end and store-front processes. This is something any retailer can do regardless of size. Let us therefore, seize on the potential of digital platforms to deliver better, faster, more tailored, more responsive and more imaginative shopping experiences for our customers,” he said.

With no end to the pandemic in sight, the most significant barrier that many Zimbabwean businesses face is the urgent need for digital transformation.

Analysts say businesses with an online presence and robust digital operations entered the pandemic with a distinct advantage, as they were more efficient in that consumers can buy from them at any time or any place.

“We believe that the retail industry should also be supported to strategically position itself for this takeoff, especially by addressing the challenges being faced in the sector,” said Mutashu, adding that the smuggling of goods through our porous borders remains one of the key challenges facing the retail sector.

These smuggled goods are the ones sustaining the perpetuation of informalisation of the economy, which is more pronounced in the retail sector. Formal retail players are failing to cope with this level of informalisation, as traders sell smuggled goods in the streets and in front of retail shops, posing unjustified competition.

“We are also concerned by the continuously widening gap between the auction market exchange rate and parallel market one, which is further creating speculative tendencies and rent seeking behaviours, much to the distortion of market fundamentals. In light of the above, I urge authorities to take concrete and decisive measures to address this challenge once and for all,” he said.

The CZR boss added that the pricing issue also remains one of the critical and most talked about issue by consumers daily as they grapple with low disposable incomes.
“It is very important for our value chain to strike a balance between viability and affordability for the benefit of the consumers,” he said.
“It is also important that we continue to invest in store ambience and design, and ensure that we face-lift and add value to our premises, and not use

Covid-19 as an excuse to lower our standards. Some shops in densely-populated areas have thrown standards out of the window, and this is an issue of particular concern.

“In light of the above, we will be carrying out inspections in 2022 to assess the status of stores, with particular focus on implementation of Covid-19 prevention measures in line with WHO and Ministry of Health standards, as well as a host of other issues.”
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