number Archives - Page 6 of 7 - AfricaBusiness.com

17Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News

Mobile Retail Commerce Rises While Social Shopping Drops in Second Quarter, Reports IBM

ARMONK, N.Y., July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile shopping rose while social media sales fell, providing an indication of where US retailers may invest in order to capture the attention and loyalty of the digital consumer, according to a new report from IBM (NYSE: IBM). The IBM Retail Online Index, a cloud-based analysis of the online retail sector reported that retailers experienced 15 percent growth in sales from mobile devices but saw a 20 percent decline in sales traced to social media based on a much smaller base over this three-month period. This report follows today's news from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Census Bureau which announced its estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales. According to the findings, retail sales fell 0.5 percent in June from May, the third ...

16Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

World Bank Approves New Power Transmission Line between Ethiopia and Kenya to Boost Electricity and Economic Growth in East Africa

Washington, July 12, 2012 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the Eastern Electricity Highway Project, which will connect Ethiopia’s electrical grid with Kenya’s, create power- sharing between the two countries, reduce energy costs, promote sustainable and renewable power generation, better protect the region’s environment, and pave the way for more dynamic regional cooperation between the countries of East Africa. The new project marks the first phase of a regional East Africa power integration program which is likely to cost US$1.3 billion at completion, eventually benefiting 212 million people living in five countries with a combined GDP of US$107 billion. Together with the Governments of Ethiopia and Kenya, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and ...

14Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

South Africa News

Eight reasons why copywriting is more important than ever before

by Chemory Gunko 8 reasons copywriting is more important than ever before (Microsoft Word) You’d think, with the variety of tools available to us in today’s wide media landscape, that the need for good copywriting would have fallen by the wayside – but you couldn’t be further from the truth. Nowadays, more than ever, it’s the guys with the best copywriting – and most informative content – that achieve the kinds of viral traction that we all dream of for our business marketing. So, why is great copywriting still so much of a draw card in today’s multimedia world? 1. Content is King There may be a million things to do online, but the most important one is reading. Without negating the importance of your design, which is crucial to grabbing people...

14Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Why SEO is not the be-all and end-all of everything

by Chemory Gunko Why SEO is not the be-all and end-all of everything (Microsoft Word) The buzzword on everyone’s lips – for a while already – has been SEO. And it doesn’t matter where you turn or who you speak to, every agency is telling you that if they do your website and SEO, you’ll rank number one on all Google searches and your success is assured. But how realistic is this really? 1. Is your product something that people will search for? I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen this one – and really wanted to turn around and say, okay well when did you last go on to the Internet searching for air freshener or toilet rolls? The truth is that there are just some things that people aren’t looking for – or wouldn’t even think to inser...

12Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Insurance product aims to support students

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa A new iniative aimed at supporting South Africa's vulnerable students has been widely welcomed. The new insurance product launched to SA's 800,000 registered students aims to specifically tackle the everyday vulnerabilities that can halt a learner's studies in their tracks. Given the typical risks and exposure to crime that is associated with life on campus and within shared student accomodation, the affordable cover (unmatched at R99 per month) seeks to fill a gap left by other insurers in covering critical items such as cell phones, laptops, and assisting with covering student fees lost that cannot be covered in the event of death of a sponsor, bursar or parent. Currently a great number of students are on the government financial aid scheme, the...

10Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News

7 simple ways to make your email marketing stand out from the crowd

By Chemory Gunko In our cluttered and busy media world, merely having an email address or cellphone number is an invitation to get bombarded by marketing nowadays. So, just how do you cut through the clutter and make your email is the one that jumps up and grabs attention? You have 3 seconds – if that – to grab your reader’s attention, and the most important tools in your arsenal are your subject line and page title tag. Let’s begin with the title tag. 1. Your page title tag Often overlooked, and usually defaulted to Untitled Document, your page title tag is the piece of text that shows in the tab of your browser window when the document is viewed online, and most importantly, is the text that is picked and displayed when the little notification box pops up to tell yo...

10Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News

Frost & Sullivan: Heavy-Duty Truck Market on the Verge of Increasing Dedicated Global Production Platforms

Nearly one in three trucks manufactured by 2018 to feature platform based lineage MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- After less than 10 years, since Western original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) started entering Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) markets with serious intent, the very face and structure of the global heavy-duty truck market has changed. Markets considered an afterthought a few decades ago are now dictating the course of global commercial vehicle demand and the growth of the industry. Seismic changes shaping the global commercial vehicle industry have truly flattened the world, where OEMs from both triad (United States, European Union and Japan) and non-triad markets are aggressively competing for sustainable and robust growth. As they begin developin...

10Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News

Africa – Mobile Voice Market and Major Network Operators

Market penetration to reach 60% among Africa's one billion people in 2012 Mobile phones represent more than 90% of all telephone lines in Africa. Market penetration passed the 50% mark in 2010 and is expected to reach 60% in 2012. Subscriber growth across the continent has slowed to around 17% p.a, but several individual markets are still growing at 50% p.a. or more and others stand at only single-digit penetration rates. The continent's most advanced markets have passed the 100% penetration mark. Although the greatest demand is in the major cities, cellular solutions are also being employed to increase accessibility in rural and other disadvantaged areas. In addition to mobile networks, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) systems have been introduced in a large number of countries for the provision...

9Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News

Growing MENA-MED Oil and Gas Market Attracts Investors

GENEVA, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 9th MidEast-North Africa Mediterranean Upstream Conference - focuses on new opportunities With huge gas finds in the Mediterranean, new gas-LNG ventures afoot, accelerating acreage leasing and major capital investment projects across the region, the Middle East and North African oil and gas market remains one of the biggest and most dynamic energy markets in the world. Therefore, the regional exploration, oil/gas-LNG and energy game attracts a growing number of companies and investors who find new business opportunities. The conference in Geneva focuses on the exploration and development ventures of national oil companies, governments and companies in this vast and complex region. New opportunities have attracted greater commitments from super-majors, a...

9Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News

Market Rally Running Out of Steam?

LONDON, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- June proved to be a bullish month for stock markets, with investors buying back into the market after three previous months of declines as Central Banks looked to stimulate a slowing global economy. In June, the FTSE 100 gained 251 points or 4.7%. However, having hit resistance at the 5700 level at the end of last week, will the FTSE's charge start to run out of steam? By close of play in the UK on Friday (July 6), all the major indices were firmly in the red, with the Dow Jones leading the way as it fell by over 150 points (over 1%) by 4.40pm (BST). Major indices in the UK and Europe recorded falls too, with the FTSE 100 shedding 30 points and Germany's DAX 30 sliding by over 125 points to close the week at 5662.6 and 6410.1 respectively. L...