For the fifth year in a row, Clicks and Musica have scooped the Coolest Specialist Health and Beauty Store and the Coolest Music Retailer Awards in the annual Sunday Times Generation Next Awards – ample proof that these two stores continue to resonate with South Africa’s youth market.
The Sunday Times Generation Next Awards, now in its tenth year, is always highly anticipated by business and media alike. It recognises South Africa’s most popular products, brands, celebrities, and sportsmen and women – as voted by 6 000 youths aged eight to 22. Marketing experts consider it an essential tool for gauging brand loyalty among young consumers who have the power to shape the products of the future.
David Kneale, chief executive of the Clicks Group, is delighted that Clicks and Musica each received Generation Next Awards – Clicks for the Coolest Specialist Health and Beauty Store and Musica as the Coolest Music Retailer. “This is the fifth consecutive year that we have received these two awards and it goes to show that both Clicks and Musica continue to be relevant to the youth market,” he says.
Innovation puts Clicks ahead
Kneale believes that Clicks’ brand promise of “feel good, pay less” emphasises the proposition it offers customers, a positioning that appeals to the youth market. “This market wants value but also innovation and newness. They want to be up-to-date with what is happening both locally and internationally,” he says. He mentions the example of two exclusive ranges which Clicks has brought in – John Frieda hair care from the UK and skincare products from the SA beauty salon chain, Sorbet.
“Besides value and our product range, what’s also important to our brand is the Clicks ClubCard and the benefit that this brings to our customers,” he says. The fact that customers can interact with the brand across different platforms also helps Clicks stay in touch with customer needs, Kneale asserts. “We have 100 000 Facebook fans and have witnessed growth of over 40% in our website traffic in the past year,” he says. “This clearly demonstrates how today’s market wants to receive information.”
Musica remains up-to-date
For its part, Musica is also staying ahead of the trend. “Despite a growing interest in digital music, there still remains a big market for the physical product,” Kneale acknowledges. “About 86% of purchased music in South Africa is still in the physical format.”
As the only remaining specialist music retailer with a national presence, Musica is able to keep up to date with trends. “What Musica wants to be is the place where everyone comes to access music and entertainment – be it CDs for their cars, DVDs for their homes or hardware like speakers and headphones,” he says. “We have significantly increased our range to keep pace with our customers’ changing needs.”
An example of Musica being relevant to the youth market was last Christmas’ surprising bestseller. “Can you believe it? A record player was the biggest selling item for the 2013 festive season,” Kneale says. “We were able to pick up on this and bring back record players and vinyl to take advantage of the surge in interest.”
For both Musica and Clicks, it’s important to see the youth market as customers for life, Kneale believes. “We want to be relevant to what they want today and stay relevant and trusted through every stage of their lives,” Kneale says.
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Issued by Magna Carta PR on behalf of Clicks