South Africa, May 22 -- Increased digital noise, category competition and dynamism in the e-commerce space means that without ongoing and robust learning and understanding of everchanging trends, algorithms and platform shifts, it's virtually impossible to stay ahead of the curve.

Before kicking off with his checklist, Shepard reiterates that it's imperative that businesses understand that marketing spend and sales spend should be treated as two fundamentally separate budgets with different objectives. "The first should be to build the brand, the other to sell product. Understanding and embracing this is essential if you are to succeed."

Are you focusing only on immediate sales while neglecting brand awareness?

Many businesses fall int...