Sinan

Sinan from Amber Road asked if artificial intelligence (AI) could help scale go-to-market efforts, given that the primary bottleneck for growth is human capital.

Answer

CEO Zak Calisto discussed the dual nature of AI, acknowledging its efficiency but also the potential for significant negative impact when it fails, leading to customer dissatisfaction. He noted that in markets like South Africa and Europe, customers generally prefer human interaction over machine-based communication.

Sinan from Amber Road questioned Karooooo about the improvement in sales force productivity, specifically how new sales representatives compare to the existing base and their speed of improvement. He also asked if AI could help scale go-to-market efforts, given the identified bottleneck of people.

Answer

Zak Calisto, Founder and Group CEO, confirmed that new sales reps typically go through a learning curve and do not perform as well as established salespeople, which is a consistent trend. On AI, he acknowledged its efficiency but highlighted the significant downsides when it fails, leading to customer unhappiness. He noted that markets like South Africa and Europe have low tolerance for interacting with machines, suggesting it's a gradual process for AI adoption in customer-facing roles.

Sinan from Amber Road asked if artificial intelligence (AI) could help scale go-to-market efforts, given that the primary bottleneck for growth is human capital.

Answer

CEO Zak Calisto discussed the dual nature of AI, acknowledging its efficiency but also the potential for significant negative impact when it fails, leading to customer dissatisfaction. He noted that in markets like South Africa and Europe, customers generally prefer human interaction over machine-based communication.