As the much-awaited Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and festive shopping season approaches, retailers are flexing their marketing muscles to seize sales opportunities using discount offers, free deliveries, bonus deals, and more. Amidst the excitement lies a lingering uncertainty about the spending capacity of local consumers this year, as a sizable portion of South Africans have weathered financial challenges. With the local economy showing modest growth in recent months, there’s no denying that the road to success may not be as straight as it seems.

At the end of 2022, we sat down with Roan Mackintosh, MD of Incubeta SSA to pick his brains about what was in store for the marketing industry in 2023. As we settle into the second half of the year, we once again caught up with Roan to see how his initial predictions have fared since the start of the year and what’s in store for Q3 and Q4.

It’s not often that we discuss extended reality (XR): the broader term that combines all immersive technology under one umbrella, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality and mixed reality. XR is defined as an environment or experience that combines virtual and physical realities through the use of computer or wearable technology. 

As we start to witness more brands integrating these digital tools into their retail strategies, it’s important to unpack how to take advantage of XR technology to improve user experience and elevate your eCommerce and retail experiences.