Peter Ludi, Business Development Executive at redPanda Software and Solutions , discusses how retailers can avoid vendor lock-in, retain control of their AI and data ecosystems, and build future-ready platforms tailored to South Africas unique operating conditions.
In 2025, the South African retail sector has seen a 4.2 year-on-year increase and the ecommerce sector is anticipated to reach R225 billion, a 150 growth over the past five years12. Omnichannel retail capabilities, supported by personalisation, customer data analytics, AI-powered recommendations and automated inventory and storage solutions, are helping companies gain commercial ground and customer trust in a highly competitive environment3. However, as much as technology helps, it also hinders.
At first, a centralised solution from a single vendor seems like the obvious choice. It simplifies procurement, streamlines operations and offers one point of accountability. However, many retailers have discovered that while its easy to commit to a solution, its far more difficult and expensive to walk away from one, especially if it's not meeting their evolving needs. Whether its the inability to exit contracts without significant costs, the challenge of re-skilling teams or the sheer risk to continuity, the long tail of vendor lock-in is real.