In January this year Nisa highlighted its intentions in the digital world by appointing Etienne Botha to the new role of Head of Digital. SLR caught up with him to find out exactly what’s in store.
How did you come to get this new position at Nisa?
I’ve worked for a wide number of international companies in the past. I was at Hewlett Packard for five years, commuting from the north east to Amsterdam. I later worked for SAP, and that involved more travel, to Barcelona, to South Africa. I’m 6’ 7” so the less time I spend travelling the better. My wife gave me an ultimatum to either stay at home or stay away; she was only half-joking, I think!
What drew you to move into the convenience industry?
I was immediately drawn to the Nisa role. My career has seen me cover different aspects of online and IT work so whenever I see a role advertised I visit the company’s website, look at their social channels. When I did that I saw a massive opportunity.
How’s it being going so far?
I started on 20th January and I’ve taken to it like a duck to water. It’s been really exciting. Change in this industry is happening at a blistering pace so no two days have been the same since I started – that’s something you want to be part of. Convenience was completely new to me but the online world can be translated into any industry.
What are your plans
We want to develop a strategy that will serve the company on an ongoing basis. There will be a continual development of our digital offerings so we’re developing a roadmap for the future. We’ll be looking at a new consumer website and expanding our social media offering so all digital experiences can come together. There will also be new and exciting platforms. It’s a crucial part of the overall business strategy.
What is the ultimate goal for Nisa in terms of digital?
For me, it’s to lead the industry in online, it’s to offer greater levels of support to members as they expand in this area, it’s about leading the way in creative digital communications with consumers, having the best IT support possible for members, optimising business processes and finding key solutions both internally and externally.
What’s the end benefit of this investment for retailers?
Technology is developed to ultimately drive footfall into stores and help our members increase their sales. The way people shop is changing dramatically and we need to be on top of that. Retailers know how to tweet but most will admit they don’t fully utilise the technology available to them.
What will you be doing to help?
For starters, we’ve just developed a social media guide, which shows members how to set up accounts, how to link them together and use them effectively. In time we’ll be able to offer full digital support so that’s one area we’ll be expanding into. We want to have retailers understand their traffic and how to fully engage with customers on a digital level.
Sounds like a busy time ahead, so what do you do to relax?
I moved to the UK from South Africa 14 years ago, and met and married a Yorkshire lass, so that’s where I’m based. We’ve got one child and another on way. When I’m not looking after them I’m a bit of a tractor enthusiast so you’ll likely find me tinkering with an engine.
