READER LETTER | SA businesses must innovate to remain globally competitive

As a nation, we cannot hand-wave the need for digital progress because we are comfortable with the status quo. Unless built on a solid foundation of continued digital innovation, the future will not be kind to South African businesses as they are forced to play catch-up with the rest of the world. 

To remain globally competitive, South African enterprises will have to commit to the widespread transformation of their digital systems and practices, with a steadfast understanding of the cumulative effect of investing in their digital capabilities – knowing that this undertaking stands to benefit both the consumer and their business equally.

For businesses specifically, continued digital innovation can promote greater agility, unlock and promote operational efficiency, enable the ability to implement new business models and expose companies to new customers and markets. 

For customers, the march towards greater digital transformation across the business landscape results in a steady trickle of benefits: a greater diversification of products and services, lower costs and an overall improved customer experience. 

We should not limit the positive impact that digital innovation can have in SA – business leaders must ensure they are taking a proactive and progressive approach to their digital transformation strategy if we want locally owned enterprises to remain industry leaders in the global digital economy.

Jacques Jordaan, co-founder & CEO at Specno