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Marketing & Retail Trends 2024
The more data accumulates, the greater the likelihood that additional services and applications will access this data. However, the uncontrolled accumulation of large amounts of data is not expedient and leads to system inertia, so reducing this “data gravity” will be an important goal in 2024.
Photography for SAS in April 2017 by Jeremy Glyn.
As part of this, we expect IT and marketing departments to invest more in technical solutions to harmonise different data sources. This will give them more control over their data and at the same time more flexibility to focus on creative tasks, such as the conception and implementation of creative campaigns.
Generative AI places an even greater focus on building better quality data bases. The principle of “garbage in, garbage out” applies particularly well to generative AI (artificial intelligence). Already, 77% of managers are concerned that their company will not be able to take full advantage of generative AI due to poor data quality (source: Salesforce State of Data & Analytics, November 2023). With total data volumes predicted to increase by an average of 23% in the next 12 months alone, IT and business departments are in a race to ensure the quality of the data underpinning their generative AI initiatives is better than their competitors.
AI prompting – Questions are becoming more important than answers
What questions and prompts do we feed artificial AI with? This is what companies will be dealing with in 2024. A key challenge in dealing with AI will be which core competencies marketers should have. Companies will have to spend more time on how they ask questions in order to not only get meaningful answers, but also to gain insights that set them apart from others.
Salesforce will help its customers with the Prompt Builder. Because in the future, it will be about overcoming conformity as more and more companies use AI for their marketing. It is also crucial to evaluate success factors for how AI models are trained. The use of AI will not replace employees, but rather relieve them of manual tasks. In the interaction between humans and machines, they remain the decision-makers.
First party data strategy and loyalty programs – loyalty will have no limits
Loyalty is increasingly seen as a central component of the customer experience in many companies and is increasingly becoming a top priority. Until now, customer loyalty programmes have often been transaction-oriented and relatively inflexible. In future, however, loyalty experience will become a central component of the entire customer journey. From in-store advisory services and customer-centric service centres to mobile apps and virtual experiences, there are virtually no limits.
The basis for this? First-party data! With a first-party data strategy, companies answer questions such as: Where can I find out more about customers? Where can I learn more about their interests? And how can I use these insights in real time? The “reach” yardstick, which was very high with third-party cookies, is therefore out. The watering can principle is no longer relevant in marketing; precision is more important than ever.
Retail media – continues to gain ground
Addressing customers when they are in the mood to buy – this makes retail media one of the most important marketing trends in 2024. The ROAS (return on advertising spend) for retail media is high compared to other forms of online advertising. Retail Media benefits from the seller’s detailed first-party data: advertisers can market their products to a very specific target group by booking banner advertising with the retailer for a target group with an interest in certain products.
Personalisation – Cool or creepy?
One of the challenges in the coming year is how companies can get consumers to trust them with their data in order to create added value through personalisation with first-party strategies. According to the Salesforce State of Connected Customer Report, consumers are becoming increasingly sensitive when it comes to personal data. Transparency is therefore still one of the most important tasks for companies, as the unsolicited disclosure of data is a “no-go”, and they only trust companies to a limited extent when it comes to handling data.
There is also a considerable discrepancy in how this data is handled: Consumers often find it “creepy” when they are approached by companies in a personalised way without knowing where the company has the relevant information. So when it comes to the question of whether personalised marketing is a criterion for success, the only questionable answer is: it depends. Ikea recognised this a few years ago with its “Ikea Data Promise” and showed what is important: guaranteeing consumers security, transparency and control of their data and showing them how they benefit in concrete terms when they share their data with companies.
Mr. Tim Akano, New Horizons Chief Executive Officer, took centre stage at the Nigerian Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) annual end-of-year meeting on Thursday, December 18, 2025, recounting the company’s remarkable growth and reaffirming free IT training for journalists.
Tim Akano, New Horizons Chief Executive Officer, in a group photograph with NITRA Members
Speaking directly to IT media members at the company’s training facility in Lagos, Akano acknowledged the critical role journalists played in supporting New Horizons during its formative years two decades ago.
He detailed how the firm evolved from a handful of staff to one of Africa’s leading ICT skills training organisations, now employing about 500 staff across multiple training centres nationwide.
Akano Spotlights Youth Training, University Partnerships
Akano highlighted that New Horizons has trained over 500,000 youths, particularly tertiary institution students, equipping them with practical IT skills essential for Nigeria’s digital economy.
He announced recent partnerships with universities, including a new agreement with Afe Babalola University, to scale hands-on training programmes for students.
“This growth would not have been possible without the media’s support in documenting our journey,” Akano stated, pledging continued free IT skills training for media members to remain competitive in the evolving digital landscape.
Reciprocal Support Defines Long-Standing Partnership
The venue hosting the NITRA meeting underscored Akano’s generosity; NITRA Secretary Chidiebere Nwankwo secured the free facility after contacting him—a gesture consistent with New Horizons hosting multiple association events and training IT journalists since its inception 20 years ago.
Participants shared personal testimonies of Akano’s support, including veteran journalist Aaron Ukodie, whose daughter—an Accounting graduate from the University of Johannesburg—received NYSC placement and IT scholarship at New Horizons.
The Guardian’s Yemi Adeyemi recounted Akano accommodating his editor’s child for mandatory IT training after other firms declined.
Members praised Akano’s commitment to human capital development as evidence of deep appreciation for the media community that chronicled New Horizons’ success over two decades.
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has launched the NIMC Pre-Enrolment Portal to revolutionise the National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment process, enabling applicants within Nigeria and in the Diaspora to capture biodata online prior to biometric verification at enrolment centres.
NIMC
Accessible via penrol.nimc.gov.ng, the platform allows users to fill enrolment forms, schedule appointments, upload supporting documents securely, and manage personal details directly, thereby slashing congestion, minimising wait times, boosting data accuracy and enhancing overall service efficiency at centres nationwide.
NIMC Director-General and CEO, Engr. (Dr) Abisoye Coker-Odusote, spearheaded the initiative as part of the Commission’s technology-driven strategy to fortify institutional performance, aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that emphasises digital transformation, efficient public service delivery and inclusive national development.
Dr Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications, highlighted key benefits including simplified biodata handling, confidential data protection through robust security measures, reduced physical centre visits and heightened operational effectiveness, urging all prospective enrollees to adopt the portal for a faster, citizen-friendly experience.[conversation_history]
The move underscores NIMC’s mandate under the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007 to manage the National Identity Database, issue NINs and foster a reliable digital identity ecosystem vital for national planning, with users advised to complete pre-enrolment online before heading to selected centres for biometrics.
MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), a Pan-African film and television training institution, has announced the opening of applications for its 2026 intake.
MultiChoice
The fully funded programme is open to African graduates aspiring to become directors, filmmakers, scriptwriters, producers and storytellers.
According to MultiChoice, the nine-month accredited curriculum combines online learning with intensive in-person training, and is designed to balance theoretical knowledge with practical immersion.
MTF academies are located in Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia, and serve aspiring filmmakers from 14 African countries. Since its inception in 2018, the initiative has trained 296 filmmakers, with graduates producing more than 42 movies aired on DStv, GOtv and Showmax platforms.
Organisers said alumni of the programme have gone on to establish over 50 production companies, while many continue to work within the MultiChoice ecosystem.
Graduates have also won accolades at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, Kalasha Awards, Uganda Film Festival and Women in Film Awards.
Applications for the 2026 intake close on Feb. 27, 2026. Interested candidates can visit https://apo-opa.co/3XW53oE for programme requirements.
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