Digital technology transforming our business operations in Africa

By Sunil GUPTA

Rapid advances in digital technologies are opening up new opportunities for economic growth and development in Africa as they enable new forms of enterprise to flourish despite historic gaps in economic infrastructure.

Africa is at the forefront of harnessing rapid technological advancements, which are unfolding at an unprecedented pace. The emergence of innovative digital technologies is set to have a profound impact on economies, businesses, and international trade across the continent.

According to the US International Trade Administration (ITA), Africa is forecasted to have achieved a steady 17 percent compound annual growth rate of online consumers from 2017 up to next year. Just as consumers are increasingly transacting online, digital platforms are changing the way businesses interact with one another, improving responsiveness and efficiency while expanding the horizons of what is possible.

At Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), we understand the pivotal role of digital transformation in serving our customers and driving our operations across 15 markets in Africa.

Expanding our e-commerce capabilities for our customers is central to our digital ambitions. This not only enhances customer experience but also opens distribution reach and growth opportunities.

MyCCBA, our digital platform, leverages advanced technology to simplify how customers place and track orders, creating an inclusive digital environment for everyone, from large retailers to small family-owned shops.

Just like a consumer e-commerce platform, MyCCBA enables us to collect valuable customer data. We can identify preferences, such as how customers would prefer to interact with us, whether through our digital platforms in-person, or a combination of these.

In the future, insights based on geography and outlet types can be shared with customers to help them grow their businesses.

MyCCBA is currently operational in several of our markets like Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Botswana. We have ambitious plans to improve the customer experience further and expand our digital footprint to even more markets.

Of course, there is a long way to go before Africa achieves universal internet coverage and human connection will always be a key element of doing business. Our sales teams remain core to our route-to-market strategy, and the digital tools we are building will allow them to focus on serving our customers more than on administrative tasks.

We’ve also launched a WhatsApp channel for our CCBA customers in South Africa and Kenya. This channel provides a range of customer service options, from viewing outstanding credit to tracking order status and placing orders.

Another exciting feature of our digital route to market is our Electronic Data Integration (EDI), which enables our enterprise resource planning system to “talk” to those of our customers who have similar digital infrastructure. This gives the system visibility of the levels of stock they have in their stores as well as the rate of sales, allowing the system to anticipate and automate new orders, without any human intervention required.

Furthermore, pricing and promotions planned at the national level with large retail chains can be implemented instantly at the level of every store.

Compared to the laborious process of physical stock taking and manual sending of orders, invoices, remittances and promotions, and you begin to appreciate the astonishing leap in productivity that can be achieved.

Already, we have 110,000 regular users of MyCCBA, WhatsApp and our Electronic Data Integration systems combined, which will continue to grow as we roll them out to more of our markets.

These are just some examples of the accelerating evolution of the commercial environment on the continent, powered by digital technology. This trend is also transforming supply chains and cross-border trade on the continent, bringing expanded opportunities for economic growth and employment to meet the needs and aspirations of a young, digitally savvy and growing population.

Digital technologies can be a medium of transactions, a competitive advantage, or even a disruptor in business. By developing and embracing digital innovations like MyCCBA, WhatsApp and EDI, we at Coca-Cola Beverages Africa are positioning ourselves to be at the forefront of a rapidly evolving business landscape.

The writer is the Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa

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