Story by Owen Mandovha
LOCAL companies have been urged to sharpen price competitiveness of their products in order to boost sales and sustain momentum under the Buy Local initiative, amid growing regional competition and shifting consumer preferences.
This comes as stakeholders say the Government’s local content policy, aimed at promoting domestically produced goods, reducing imports and creating jobs, must continuously evolve to remain effective and responsive to market dynamics.
Speaking ahead of the release of findings from a consumer satisfaction survey conducted by a local research firm, Buy Zimbabwe Chairperson Mr Munyaradzi Hwengere stressed the need for improved affordability and competitiveness.
“The results are very key in providing insight as to what local firms should consider improving product affordability, which is a huge factor for people to buy local. The coming into of the continental free trade area will increase competition and, in many ways, local firms will need to harness their competitiveness,” he said.
Buy Zimbabwe Executive, Mr Alois Burutsa, cited the ongoing government’s ease of doing business reforms to slash operational costs to improve local product affordability.
“The results are essential in terms of policy formulation as to what Government should do going forward,” he said.
Preliminary survey results show that counterfeit products are flooding the market, with at least 40 percent of consumers having admitted to using the products.
