To provide greater insight into what drives South African consumerism, this year's TNS survey was extended to measure the influence of advertising in shaping brand loyalty and shopping habits, particularly when consumer-budgets are tight. Print inserts placed in newspapers were shown to be significant in converting consumers towards making purchases at stores they may previously have been unaware of, or neutral towards.
"Ultimately the power of conversion is what sets the winning retailers apart from its competitors. With the majority of consumers reading through newspaper inserts, and 36% taking them in-store, retailers have the power to broaden their sphere of influence and attracting new customers by investing in consumer reach," says Esmé Deken, Head of Market Intelligence at Times Media.
| Category | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Award | Shoprite | Pick n Pay | Edgars |
| Children and Baby clothing | Woolworths | Ackermans | Edgars |
| Women's clothing | Edgars | Woolworths | Truworths |
| Men's clothing | Edgars | Woolworths | Truworths |
| Liquor | Tops at Spar | Pick n Pay Liquor | Shoprite Liquor Shop |
| Health and beauty | Clicks | Dis-Chem | Medirite (Shoprite/ Checkers) |
| Household appliances | Game | Makro | Shoprite |
| Furniture | Geen & Richards | Morkels | House & Home |
| Telecoms | MTN store | Vodacom shop | Pepcell |
| Wholesalers | Makro | Metro Cash & Carry and Metro Hyper | Kit Kat Cash & Carry |
| Jewellery | American Swiss | Sterns | NWJ Fine Jewellery |
| Shoes | Spitz | Rage | Nine West |
| Specialist sports and outdoor | Totalsports | Mr Price Sports | Sportmans Warehouse |
| Electronic, computer and gadget | Hi-Fi Corporation | Incredible Connection | Dion Wired |
| Entertainment | Musica | Look & Listen | Top CD |
| Home accessories and décor | Sheet Street | Woolworths | Mr Price Home |
| Hardware and building | Cashbuild | Build It | Timbercity |
| Tyre and autofitment centres | Tiger Wheel and Tyre | Supaquick | Kwik-Fit |
| Eastern Cape shopping malls | Greenacres (incl The Bridge and Shoprite Mall) | Hemingways Mall | Vincent Park Shopping Centre |
| Western Cape shopping malls | Victoria & Albert Waterfront | Canal Walk | Cavendish |
| Gauteng shopping malls | Menlyn Park Shopping Centre | East Rand Mall & Galleria | Eastgate Shopping Centre |
| Free State shopping malls | Mimosa Mall | Loch Logan Waterfront | |
| KwaZulu-Natal shopping malls | Gateway Theatre of Shopping | The Pavilion | Musgrave Centre |
| Top shopping centre | Menlyn Park Shopping Centre | East Rand Mall & Galleria | Eastgate Shopping Centre |
| Supermarkets & Hypermarkets - overall customer experience | Shoprite | Pick n Pay (Supermarket/Hypermarket/ Family Store) | Spar/KwikSpar/Super Spar |
While many of the retailers retained their top positions in the 2013 survey, there were some interesting shifts in consumer activity.
Shoprite maintained its position as the top retailer in South Africa, winning the Overall Grand Prix. Once again Pick n Pay followed in second place, with Edgars in third. Shoprite also claimed the award for providing the best Overall Customer Experience in the Supermarket & Hypermarket category.
In the Telecoms sector, the MTN Store beat rival cellular network Vodacom Shop to secure first place. Menlyn Park Shopping Centre earned top spot as the favourite Gauteng Shopping Mall and was awarded Top Shopping Centre nationwide as well.
In the luxury purchase categories, American Swiss claimed first place among the Jewellery retailers out-shining Sterns. Hi Fi Corp moved into first place in the Electronic, Computer and Gadget category for the first time while Musica took top spot in the Entertainment category.
Sheet Street trumped major retailer Mr Price Home in the Home Accessory and Décor category pushing them down to third position. Woolworths shifted up into second place.
In the specialist furniture store category, Geen & Richards retained their first position, followed by Morkels who climbed from third place last year. House & Home, previously in ninth position, took a giant leap into third spot in 2013.
Trevor Ormerod, GM for Advertising Sales and Strategic Communications at Times Media says that "the results of The Times Sowetan Retail Awards Survey continue to increase retailers' insights into their market."
"Overall, newspaper adverts were found to have the greatest value of any medium when planning grocery, clothing, furniture and appliance shopping," confirms Deken adding that, "it wouldn't hurt South African retailers to invest in conversion tactics that will position them favourably with consumers."
