#BizTrends2025: TBWA\Coastal's Andre Le Roux - Understanding the SA shopper

Andre Le Roux, head of strategy: TBWA\Coastal, talks about trends that drive culture to understand SA shopper (Image supplied)

To understand the bigger trends for 2025, we need to take a bit of time to better understand what is happening with the South African Shopper.

When one looks at the South African Shopper there is one big trend that is going to continue to grow and influence how we need to build retail brands to own more mindshare with shoppers.

This trend is fueled by the following:

1. South Africa is one of the most heavily promoted markets in the world and, as a result, as a category we have socialised shoppers to shop on promotion.

2. Regardless of where you find yourself on the economic and income ladder, everyone is feeling the impact and pinch of the rising cost of living due to inflationary drivers like increases in travel costs, electricity and the resulting increasing costs of essential consumer goods.

3. With the increasing role of technology and omnichannel retailing in South Africa, retailers are becoming smarter at understanding what shoppers need because of all the data that is being acquired through online retailing channels and loyalty programmes.

The “super switched on deal hunting shopper”

Through offering more promotions to choose from, increased economic pressures and smarter offers more often, we have created a monster I like to refer to as the “super switched on deal hunting shopper”.

A shopper, regardless of income, is becoming better at squeezing every cent of value they can from their shopping budget.

The question is the following: “What are the trends that we can tap into to get more of these shoppers to think about and consider your retail brand as their number one shopping destination?”

Key trends

Crises hacking companion

The world is finding itself in consistent crisis mode and as a result, we are moving into the “polycrises” world.

As a result, shoppers are becoming more adept at “Crises Hacking” – which is finding a way through the crises to make things work. This is something that South Africans are experts at.

With increasing uncertainty and pressure, the future switched-on shopper is going to be on the hunt for a partner to better help them crises hack their way through the world, or even just month-end shopping.

In 2025, how might we become a daily crisis hacking partner for our shoppers to ensure they spend more time with us and think about our brand?

Mental availability and meaningfulness create gold.

The data rush economy

The days of “you can have my data for free” are over – the switched-on consumer understands that their data and the insights that come from that data are exceptionally valuable – and in some way a core driver of reciprocal retail offers where the more a retailer knows about a shopper, the better offers can be developed from him or her.

For the switched-on shopper, personal data will become the currency that can be used to digitally barter for life impact value.

In the future, retailers will need to ask themselves, how they can incentivise and reward their shoppers to share their exceptionally valuable personal data.

In 2025, let’s focus on a smart data partnership with our customers to create increased reciprocity, attachment and top-of-mind awareness when it comes to spending hard-earned cash in an over-traded, promotional market.

Circular aftermarket economy

At the intersection of sustainability, scarcity, and hype culture lies a booming aftermarket economy. Old products are being recycled, repaired, and resold, while new products are being created with end-of-life options built in.

Switched-on shoppers are constantly looking to sell on and convert their old, unwanted or paying-forward mindset products into cash or down payments.

For years now, multiple communities on selling markets have been in operation via social media platforms – the net result is a sales channel where hard-earned cash and micro-value assets can be used to work harder for the switched-on and under-pressure shopper.

In 2025, let’s focus on a circular aftermarket economy enabler and role player for our shoppers, so that we can help them gain a bigger value return on their hard-earned grocery money.

Gap collapse

The fight against inequality is growing more nuanced.

No longer just a wealth gap—the climate gap, health gap, education gap, and digital divide are exposing the very real consequences of rising inequality. In the race to rebalance the scales, unlocking access is the next big market opportunity.

Democratisation or value and quality is nothing new, but this trend is particularly relevant to the switched-on and under-pressure South African shopper.

More than just giving people access to better products or hard-to-access products at a lower price point or via a loyalty programme, the opportunity encased in this trend is to find high-value gaps that is stopping shoppers from maximising their budgets on a month-to-month basis.

There are more gaps than just shopping budgets or high costs. In 2025, let’s focus on how we find high-value gaps that will help the switched-on shopper to effectively complete their shopping missions.

Mind maintenance

Once-invisible mental health struggles are moving centre stage.

As the taboo is broken, mental healthcare will go from reactive to proactive, from a nice-to-have to a need-to-have.

Mind maintenance is our new common priority, and we’re practising it daily.

Maximising budgets and making sure you are the most connected shopper for your family is hard and stressful work for most people in South Africa, especially the single-parent moms and dads who need to work extra hard.

We know that increased pressure and stress can cause irrational or emotive decision-making that does not necessarily lead to most switched-on buying decisions – and for an under-pressure market or shopper, the cost or a mistake and the resulting loss of disposable income can create even more pressure.

In 2025, let’s focus on how we help our shoppers beat the stress and mental pressures of making things work when it comes to completing their shopping missions and providing for their families.