Shifts in Mzansi
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Stacy Sagers of Kantar unpacks six years of consumer data.
This episode is for South African marketers who need a clear-eyed, data-driven picture of how consumers are behaving right now - what they are buying, how they are searching, where they are shopping, and what they trust. Stacy Sagers, Chief Commercial Director at Kantar, joins Carmen Murray live ahead of the Nedbank IMC - Africa's biggest marketing conference - to unpack the Mzansi Barometer 2026, a study six years in the making that tracks the attitudes, anxieties, and spending habits of connected South Africans.
Stacy and Carmen dig into the most actionable findings from the 2026 report: why in-store shopping is making a comeback despite the e-commerce boom, how AI has shifted from a B2B tool to a mass consumer search and product-research behaviour, and why 75% of South Africans trust AI recommendations but only 20% fact-check them - a critical blind spot for brand strategy. They also cover the rise of brand repertoire purchasing over price-only decisions, the collapse of brand loyalty, the threat of online scams eroding digital trust, and why retailer own-brands like Simple Truth and George and Mason are quietly stealing consideration share from heritage brands.
The conversation goes deeper into online gambling as a declared household income source for 15% of connected South Africans, the return of civic intent with 84% claiming they will vote in the upcoming municipal elections, and why sustainability credentials only build equity if they do not come at a price premium. Carmen adds a cultural forecasting lens - touching on AI-versus-AI purchase decisions, community-built internets, the analog renaissance, and the compression of the buyer's journey. If you market in South Africa and need to know where the market is actually moving, this episode is essential listening before the Nedbank IMC on 17 September 2026.
This episode is for South African marketers who need a clear-eyed, data-driven picture of how consumers are behaving right now - what they are buying, how they are searching, where they are shopping, and what they trust. Stacy Sagers, Chief Commercial Director at Kantar, joins Carmen Murray live ahead of the Nedbank IMC - Africa's biggest marketing conference - to unpack the Mzansi Barometer 2026, a study six years in the making that tracks the attitudes, anxieties, and spending habits of connected South Africans.
Stacy and Carmen dig into the most actionable findings from the 2026 report: why in-store shopping is making a comeback despite the e-commerce boom, how AI has shifted from a B2B tool to a mass consumer search and product-research behaviour, and why 75% of South Africans trust AI recommendations but only 20% fact-check them - a critical blind spot for brand strategy. They also cover the rise of brand repertoire purchasing over price-only decisions, the collapse of brand loyalty, the threat of online scams eroding digital trust, and why retailer own-brands like Simple Truth and George and Mason are quietly stealing consideration share from heritage brands.
The conversation goes deeper into online gambling as a declared household income source for 15% of connected South Africans, the return of civic intent with 84% claiming they will vote in the upcoming municipal elections, and why sustainability credentials only build equity if they do not come at a price premium. Carmen adds a cultural forecasting lens - touching on AI-versus-AI purchase decisions, community-built internets, the analog renaissance, and the compression of the buyer's journey. If you market in South Africa and need to know where the market is actually moving, this episode is essential listening before the Nedbank IMC on 17 September 2026.
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction and Welcome
- 01:24 Why the Mzansi Barometer Was Created
- 03:00 E-Commerce Behaviour: What South Africans Buy Online
- 05:00 The Shift Back to In-Store Shopping
- 07:10 Analog Renaissance and Real-World Experiences
- 09:00 Six Years of Trends: The Biggest Changes
- 10:45 AI as a Consumer Search and Purchase Tool
- 13:30 Brand Trust, Online Scams and Digital Mistrust
- 16:50 Anti-Boring Marketing vs Anti-Advertising
- 20:20 Brand Loyalty is Dead: Rise of Repertoire Purchasing
- 23:10 Retailer Own-Brands Disrupting Heritage Brands
- 25:20 AI-Driven Buying Decisions and Brand Scoring
- 27:10 Buying Local and Sustainability in South Africa
- 30:00 Voting Intent and Civic Engagement
- 33:00 South Africa's Online Time and Gambling as Income
- 36:50 Nedbank IMC Conference - 17 September 2026
- 37:30 Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts
