It is that time of the year again, often known as the silly season, when consumers go all out to score on the latest deals for Black Friday and other retail specials.
This year has been a very difficult one for consumers.
The coronavirus pandemic has shed hundreds of thousands of jobs and has had a massive negative impact on households.
People have lost loved ones, some have lost their homes and others are barely getting by.
The South African retail sector has also taken a colossal knock as a result of this year’s extended lockdown periods when extreme measures were enforced to ensure the limited movement of people across the country.
This was done to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
As much as we are all hurting economically, this year presents retailers with an opportunity to interact more with their customers by encouraging people to shop responsibly.
Despite the subdued economic environment and consumer sentiment, major retailers will still benefit from Black Friday.
Last year, retailers made a staggering R6 billion from consumer spend.
This year, people will try to do more with less, but that can be extremely difficult in the face of consumerism.
Hard-pressed South Africans are battling with the after-effects of Covid19 which has seen unemployment sky-rocket to a record 41.3%.
South Africans have endured enormous pain and suffering during the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with high levels of uncertainty, especially in their socio-economic life.
Although the lockdown measures succeeded in slowing down the spread of the virus, more still needs to be done in order to address the longterm effects, especially when it comes to normalising disrupted business activities across a wide range of sectors.
Retailers must do their part and encourage South Africans to shop responsibly.
With plenty of online facilities available for shopping, there must be strict social distancing protocols in place in order to curb the spread of the virus.
The Star