Keynote speaker for Concept to Trade retail seminars announced

Foshizi (meaning truth) is a mass-market consumer insights agency that was founded to overcome the shortage of knowledge by retailers, surrounding the black emerging consumer. Assumptions are often made about this evolving segment that have little to do with what is actually happening on the street and in the minds of these powerful spenders. "The heads in charge of most big retailers don't know the emerging market, have never been the emerging market, so their point of reference for this will be based on what the textbook says," stated Motshegoa.

That being the case, to ignore the offer of attending these seminars and gain valuable understanding of how this market thinks and acts and what drives it can result in stagnant growth in a sector already under threat from tight economic pressures. For example, Motshegoa suggests that as they become more connected to the world around them and gather more and more information, this customer will continually seek alternatives and become more demanding. So, how will retailers answer this brand agnosticism and adapt?

The growing divide

Together with Mnive Nhlabathi (COO, Opentenders.com) and Monalisa Sam, MD of TRH, he will explore the market dynamics and what retailers should be doing to address the growing divide. Said Nhlabathi: "We strongly believe that it is not only those looking to enter the retail field that require a look inside what is affecting this market, but those who are already in the game. Without sounding clichéd, sometimes it is these very retailers who can't see the wood for the trees and lose their way. We hope to change this and are therefore urging those 'in charge' of existing retail offerings to open their eyes to the new possibilities of these new markets and join us in developing a new retail mindset that will work for the future sustainability of this sector."

The first seminar will take place on Saturday, 25 July 2015, from 8.30am to pm at the SAP Office Park, Woodmead, Sandton. It is free to Opentenders members.

For further information, go to www.opentenders.com