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Consumer Trends of Today and Tomorrow

Brand reputation relies heavily on exemplary service delivery and getting this right rests on having a deep understanding of what customers want out of an interaction with employees.  Trust and loyalty levels are diminishing globally and consumers no-longer want to be put in boxes, treated generically or given false promises. Authenticity, individualism and professionalism are vital for great service delivery.

Sarina will tell you why:

  • Responsiveness is the new currency – when the ultimate scarcity is time
  • Psyches of loyalty are diminishing and this calls for “customer
    obsession”
  • Demographics are no-longer an accurate tool for navigation
  • Society is seeking a new navigation system
  • The emphasis on trust is not only becoming more visible locally

Speaker

Sarina de Beer, Ask Afrika- MD

Sarina de Beer
Managing Director – Ask Afrika PTY (LTD)

Formal Qualifications and courses:

1995
Honours – Psychology – University Pretoria

2000
Master of Arts  – Psychology

2005
Master of Arts –  Research Psychology – University Pretoria

2011
AVIRA –  Insead

Sarina de Beer is Managing Director at Ask Afrika. She is steeped in the Ask Afrika tradition of strong academic grounding. She has two Masters degrees, in Psychology, and in Research Psychology, having started her career as a lecturer at the University of Pretoria. Here her driving ambition was born to become a respected researcher. This drive flourished at Ask Afrika where she managed to create a synergy between business consulting and research.

Sarina’s conceptual mastery is annually showcased at the primary conferences the Ask Afrika Group offer- the Orange Index® and the Icon Brands™ benchmarks. Her incisive analytical capability teamed with an intuition for picking up on social trends has made her a well-respected persona in the industry.

Sarina has successfully blurred the lines between research and the consultation of business-driven clients to ensure that they derive commercial value from research. Her business exposure lies across a range of industries and she has a passion for identifying trends that impact brand expectations in the financial-services sector, and the media industry.

Together with her team, Sarina’s futuristic outlook has ensured the differentiation of Ask Afrika by delivering research projects that enable decision-making. She is highly committed to the return on investment of human capital, and this is evident by the trust that the employees place in her.

Sarina’s authenticity is often remarked on, she is completely trusted by client partners to navigate the tightrope of client centricity and analytical rigour. Most remarkably, she walks the tightrope in red-soled stilettos.

About the Ask Afrika Orange Index

The winning companies of the 2016/2017 Ask Afrika Orange Index, which spanned across 33 industry sectors and 132 companies, were announced at an awards ceremony held at The Wanderers Club in November 2016 and publicly recognised as the leaders in service delivery excellence. Over the years, the winners have been consistent because they provide more consistent service experiences with corresponding emotional satisfaction.

Ask Afrika’s Orange Index is South Africa’s most widely referenced service excellence benchmark, which provides the foundation for in-depth discussions on service trends and diagnostics in the South African corporate and consumer landscape. It is known for its singular breadth.

Launched in 2001 the Ask Afrika Orange Index has a tracking history of service in South Africa for the past 15 years based on robust sample sizes. The views gathered by the Index are done through 15,000 interviews across South Africa and the data is independently audited. Its longevity is testament to its relevance to both public and private sector with regards to providing a reliable yardstick for service measurement in South Africa.