The FM’s cover story on clothing retail captures the concern in local boardrooms. Retailers are scrambling to protect market share by slashing margins, pouring capital into apps and lobbying for tax enforcement.
But as a consumer, a former luxury retail professional and a frequent international traveller, I believe they are missing their greatest advantage over cross-border e-commerce — their people.
Poor service is a global problem, but in South Africa it is made worse by low wages, a severe lack of frontline training and thin operational support.
Retailers spend millions on rentals, elaborate displays and aggressive marketing to drive foot traffic. Yet customers who walk in are routinely met by uninterested staff absorbed in their phones or private conversations, or rearranging stock to avoid eye contact. It is often less stressful to walk out and order online than to find someone willing to help.
This is the one thing Shein and Temu cannot copy: a knowledgeable, engaged person who can advise, reassure and close a sale. By neglecting it, local retailers are undermining their own edge.
Treating frontline staff as a cost to be minimised rather than an asset to invest in is short-sighted. Physical retail will survive the digital onslaught only through human connection. Until executives see a well-paid, highly trained workforce as their best weapon, they will struggle to win this war.
Miranda Isaakidis, by e-mail
