CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Absa Insights Series

Our foresight assists your business’s sustainable growth potential

We have created a platform for our sector experts to provide data driven insights that will help your business adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world.

SECTOR EXPERTISE

Matching Foresight with Sustainable Possibilities

As global and continental economies change, we’re faced with new challenges and opportunities. As a bank committed to the sustainable development of our African continent, we partner with our clients to navigate this changing world, sharing deep insights and learnings on key sectors, many of which have been disrupted by the global pandemic.

Through the Absa Insights Series, we help our clients unlock their full growth potential through sustainable opportunities and solutions, ensuring a future for them, our planet and for generations to come.

As the playing field for consumer products and services is constantly shifting, we extract practical business insights so you can respond effortlessly at every step of your growth journey.

Isana Cordier, Head of Consumer Goods and Services, shares ideas around growing our economy and provides some insights on consumer trends.

Consumer Sector Insights

Unlocking your business's potential with insight and sustainable solutions.

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Absa’s Merchant Spend Analytics: October 2024

In an era of accelerated change, navigating the vast consumer goods and services landscape can be daunting. This newsletter forms part of a series of reports curated by industry experts, leveraging Absa internal and global data sources, as well as local research across the consumer goods and services sector to bring you the latest insights and trends.

BLACK FRIDAY

SA Shoppers Should Brace for Fewer Black Friday Bargains

American novelist, Herman Melville once wrote: “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” This quote felt apt as we review consumer habits and the annual “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” trade events.

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Absa’s Merchant Spend Analytics: September 2024

Is the two-pot retirement system giving consumers extra money to spend? We know the financial health of the consumer has been under strain for a prolonged period, leading to a decline in card spending and volumes. The latest Merchant Spend Analytics reports how consumers may be using a portion of their two-pot retirement system payouts to settle short-term debt and restore household spending.

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Absa’s Merchant Spend Analytics: August 2024

Could consumer spending be on an upward trend? We are excited to share our latest Merchant Spend Analytics report. The report offers insights on consumer spending habits, derived from a vast array of card transaction data. By examining patterns and trends within this data, we have gained valuable insights into the preferences, behaviours and spending power of consumers across various categories.

IMPACT MATTERS SERIES

Black Friday 2024

Black Friday, once synonymous with long queues, crowded stores, and deep discounts, seems to be losing its luster. 2023 marked a significant shift in Black Friday spending patterns compared to the previous year.

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Absa’s Merchant Spend Analytics: July 2024

Consumers are feeling the pinch! South African consumers’ financial health is under significant strain due to inflation, high interest rates and global economic challenges which have burdened them with debt. Despite a slight increase in real take-home pay for consumers, the growth is insufficient to keep up with the rising cost of living and high levels of debt.

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Absa’s Merchant Spend Analytics: June 2024

We are pleased to share the latest Merchant Spend Analytics report. As a leading merchant acquirer, we pride ourselves on using a unique vantage point into consumer spending insights to guide your business through today’s spending trends.

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Understand retail’s Most Valuable Player: the customer

Navigating the vast consumer goods and services environment during a time of rapid change does not need to be daunting.

Podcasts

How The AfCFTA will enable digital trade

In this podcast, we explore the opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Area’s protocol on digital trade. What will it mean for cross-border trade, and what do African businesses need to know?

Podcasts

The AfCFTA and Africa’s Existing Regional Economic Communities

Africa is a patchwork of independent and overlapping regional economic blocs. Rather than simplifying matters, the African Continental Free Trade Area adds an extra layer of complexity for businesses trading on the continent. In this podcast, we untangle the mess.

Podcasts

What Does The AfCFTA Mean For Africa?

The African Continental Free Trade Area is now active, bringing with it the promise of significantly easier intra-continental trade.

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Is it time to reimagine Black Friday in the African context?

Consume This, CGS Monthly: Volume 3, Black Friday 2023. The latest edition of the Consume This newsletter is here and this time, we are unpacking how the relationship between African consumers and consumer events has taken a turn. 

All sectors Absa insights series

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Hospitality

There’s no denying that the travel and Tourism industry was one of the hardest hit due to the various travel restrictions that were imposed, amongst other challenges.

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Resources and Energy Insights

A report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that Africa will be the most populated region in the world by 2040, surpassing China and India. While this increase in population presents challenges for the continent, there are exciting opportunities unfolding in the resource and energy sector.

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Healthcare Insights

The ability to roll out credible, sustainable and high-volume Covid-19 vaccination programs will likely be the single biggest driver of economic recovery in Africa over the next 24 months. Economies that fail to execute on this will be left behind as global trading resumes. Africa is a net importer of goods and services, therefore with the closing of borders and a vaccination rate of < 2% of Africa’s 1.2 billion population, it will leave the continent well behind the rest of the world. The cost will be devastating. We therefore need to increase our efforts in the most collaborative way.

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Telecommunications, Media and Technology Insights

In the next part of our insights series, we’re discussing Telecommunications, Media and Technology – and how they can unlock limitless possibilities in Africa. Traditionally the provider of voice, data connectivity and mobile payments solutions, the telecommunication sector, is now using technology to build an entire ecosystem around the individual consumer.

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Enterprise and Supplier Development Insights

In the next part of the Absa Insights series we discuss Enterprise and Supplier Development across Africa. Small and medium-sized businesses are likely to lead the economic recovery on the African continent, but until they can secure a genuine foothold in corporate value chains, the sector is likely to be dominated by a handful of players who had early-mover advantage and access to finance.

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Consumer Insight Series

As the playing field for consumer products and services is constantly shifting, we extract practical business insights so you can respond effortlessly at every step of your growth journey.

Read more

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Agriculture Insight Series

With expertise in the agricultural sector, we offer our clients valuable insights at every step of their growth journey. These strategic partnerships help them unlock their full financial potential with foresight and sustainable solutions.

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