he rise in South Africa’s e-commerce market is not slowing down following its sharp uptake during the Great Pandemic of 2020. What was once seen as nice-to-have is providing to be an increasing central shopping channel for South Africans.
However, a burgeoning ecosystem of tech-focused training programs is emerging, offering a beacon of hope and opportunity for individuals seeking to enhance their skillsets and contribute to South Africa’s digital transformation. These initiatives, spanning government-funded programs, private sector academies, and NGO-led workshops, aim to equip South Africans with the essential competencies to thrive in the digital age and propel the nation’s economic development forward. The consequences of this skills deficit are multifaceted, impacting not only individual career prospects but also the nation’s overall competitiveness.Fatima Khota, business unit manager, Point-Of-Sale Division at Rectron South Africalooks at how smart transaction systems and devices can enhance efficiencies and drive growth of the country’s transport and logistics sector. According to Zebra Technology 2023 Warehousing Vision Study, 73% of decision makers in the warehouse industry have already started or currently plan to accelerate timelines for modernisations projects. It states that 69% of them have or are planning to automate workflows. "
Analyzing Effectiveness: Successes and Challenges
Associates, or hands-on professionals, overwhelmingly (86%) agree that implementing warehouse technologies, robotics and devices would improve productivity and help attract and retain workers, despite alarmists claiming technology will steal jobs.
This comes as the South African Government looks to improve the country’s logistics system to “improve its efficiency and position it for the future through rapid and fundamental change”. This is according to the 2023 Roadmap for the Freight Logistics System in South Africa, where President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted a clear plan to guide this change.
For instance, port terminals will be significantly upgraded through innovate public-private partnerships, with the view to bring down the cost of transporting and managing goods, ultimately benefitting consumers. Thus, South Africa’s transport and logistics sector stands at a crossroads where the adoption of technology can unlock tremendous value in the economy, simply by creating systems that move goods quicker and more efficiently.
Growing demand for logistics Since the Covid-19 Pandemic, even the most technophobic consumers have taken to shopping online. For some, it is fast becoming a primary channel for retail. In addition to local e-commerce sites like Loot, Takealot and Amazon’s locally warehoused operation – as well as the fast-growing digital digital Experience seamless workflow automation with SigniFlow. Simplify, sign, and secure documents effortlessly. Transform your business. fast food and grocery shopping services – South Africans are also increasingly using international online shopping apps like Shein, AliExpress and Temu.