Broadcasting
Digital Spam: Retailers must Strike a Balance between Staying Visible and Avoiding Marketing Communication Overload
By Isaac Akanni, Customer Growth Manager – Africa at Infobip
In the rapidly evolving landscape of retail, where businesses strive to capture the attention of consumers in a fast-paced and interconnected digital world, marketing communication overload is becoming an all-too-common phenomenon that could actually have the opposite effect – turning customers off their brand. Consumers are overwhelmed on a daily basis by the sheer volume of messages they receive in their inboxes, social media feeds and mobile devices, and this aggressive approach could see businesses lose substantially more than they gain.
To make matters worse, consumers are burdened not only by the sheer magnitude and frequency of adverts across multiple channels, but also by the unfortunate reality that much of this marketing communication fails to resonate with their interests or needs. In some extreme instances, such messages can even come across as inappropriate or offensive, disregarding their unique preferences and personal boundaries.
Consequently, instead of attracting prospective buyers, an overabundance of marketing communication could essentially leave consumers frustrated. This frustration, in turn, can foster negative perceptions surrounding the brand and significantly impact long-term customer loyalty. When inundated with excessive marketing messages, individuals may perceive that the business lacks respect for its customers’ boundaries and prioritises profit-seeking over genuine customer relationships.
Such perceptions are not good for business as they are likely to negatively affect the company’s reputation, erode customer trust and impact sales, which in turn will hit the bottom line. Marketing communication overload is thus a sure way to make consumers feel disrespected and damage customer engagement.
Show what is relevant
It is very important that retailers strive to strike a balance between staying visible and avoiding communication overload. It is actually quite simple – show people what is relevant to them. The easiest way to achieve this is to segment your customer base and refine your messages based on individual preferences and behaviours.
Organisations must adopt a customer-centric approach, leverage data analytics and understand individual preferences. Only then can retailers tailor their marketing efforts to provide meaningful and engaging experiences. This shift towards strategic, targeted communication not only helps mitigate overload, but also builds stronger, long-lasting customer relationships.
At the same time, retailers must also recognise the importance of personalisation to remain relevant and strike the right chords with their customers. In sales, there is a concept known as “Show Me You Know Me”, which alludes to leveraging personalisation to let your customers know that you’ve done your groundwork and you care about their personal interests and needs.
Personalisation says to your customer: “I know you and I want to share this with you because I think it would benefit you”. But personalisation cannot happen without data and people generate mountains of data on a daily basis, which forms the bedrock of decision making.
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence
Once data about a consumer has been gathered, harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to perform data analytics and gain customer insights is key to tailoring marketing messages that are relevant to individuals, and this will avoid overload. With so much data available, businesses that are not targeting their messages to individual consumers can be perceived as lazy and are sending out the message that they are just not prepared to put in the work.
In an effort to regain customer trust and loyalty, retailers must be prepared to be transparent about their communication practices, while sending out content that resonates with their audience. In addition, by listening to customer feedback and by offering exclusive benefits or rewards to their customers, businesses can build a community around their products.
Ultimately, finding the right balance between staying visible and avoiding communication overload can be tricky, but retailers need to adopt strategic, targeted communication that will mitigate overload and also builds stronger, long-lasting customer relationships.
By Seye Folajimi
I start each day with one goal: to be as efficient and focused as possible. A developer’s life is full of interruptions, and without good time management, it’s easy to fall behind. As a Backend Engineer at Moniepoint, I’ve assembled the toolkit that helps me and I believe by extension any technical professional to deliver results consistently.
In this feature article, I’ll share the tools and habits that have practically multiplied my productivity and sharpened my focus on the job.
My Daily Toolbox
I rely on a handful of core tools every day. IntelliJ IDEA and Visual Studio Code are my primary editors: IntelliJ for heavy backend work (it’s packed with features) and VS Code for quick edits or scripting. When testing APIs or debugging endpoints, Postman is indispensable for sending requests and saving environments. For spotting code or configuration differences, I often paste text into Diffchecker.com and let it highlight the changes. And for database work, MySQL Workbench provides a visual SQL editor and schema designer that saves me a ton of time. Dear professional, using the right tool for each task means fewer context switches and a smoother workflow.
Productivity Strategies That Power My Workflow
Beyond raw tools, I use structured habits to stay on track. I break the day into focused blocks and assign each chunk to an activity (coding, reviews, meetings, etc.). This time-blocking approach improves focus by letting me give my full attention to one task at a time. I also apply the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks by urgency and importance; this ensures I tackle critical work first. Rather than flitting between emails, calls, and code, I batch similar tasks into dedicated slots. Some of my core techniques include:
Time Blocking: I assign specific blocks of time for coding, meetings, code reviews, and so on. This means I can dive deep into one task without switching contexts. (For example, I often use 25-minute sprints followed by a 5-minute break – the classic Pomodoro cycle – to keep my mind sharp.)
Prioritization (Eisenhower Matrix): Each morning I list my tasks and sort them by urgency vs importance. The Matrix helps me “do first” what truly matters and “delegate or drop” low-value items. This clarity prevents me from getting bogged down by busywork.
Automation: Whenever I catch myself doing something repetitive, I stop and ask, “Can I script this?” Whether it’s a shell script for routine commands or a CI/CD pipeline for deployment, automation frees up hours. Reducing manual repetition lets me focus on more critical work. Even simple automations (backups, report generation, test harnesses) add up to big time savings.
Notification Discipline: I turn off unnecessary notifications and check email/Slack only at scheduled times. By minimizing interruptions, I stay “in the zone” longer and preserve my cognitive energy.
Building My Custom Focus Extension: The Hot Gate
I even took matters into my own hands by coding a productivity tool from scratch, i called it “THE HOT GATE” .
The “Hot Gate” refers to the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE, a famous event in Greek history. It’s where King Leonidas of Sparta and a small force of Greeks (famously 300 Spartans) held off the vast Persian army of Xerxes I for several days.
The extension:
Blocks distracting websites during deep work sessions.
Organizes tabs to reduce clutter.
Unlocks distractions only during breaks.
I built it using JavaScript and browser APIs. One limitation: I can still turn it off manually. I’m considering adding a restriction to prevent that—but it’s still a local extension. Maybe someday I’ll publish it.
Breaks and Rewards
I’ve learned that smart breaks actually boost productivity. I take 2–4 minute strolls every hour, prompted by reminders from our infrastructure team. It’s refreshing and clears my head.
After big wins (like deploying a major feature or solving a tough bug), I reward myself—whether it’s a nice meal, a movie night, or just a chat with friends. These rewards keep me motivated and prevent burnout.
Wrapping Up
In my experience, combining the right tools with disciplined habits is what unlocks consistent high performance.
I’m constantly refining my setup—automating repetitive tasks, organizing my schedule better, and building systems that help me stay in the zone.
At Moniepoint and beyond, delivering quickly and reliably takes more than just code. It takes systems thinking, self-awareness, and the discipline to evolve your workflow over time.
By adopting these practices, I’ve become both more productive and more fulfilled. And I’m hoping the story is same or at least similar for you after reading this.
Seye Folajimi is a backend engineer with Africa’s fastest growing financial institution, Moniepoint Inc.
This summer, London’s West End will transform into a vibrant showcase of African excellence as TALES (The African Lifestyle Experience) returns with its most ambitious edition yet: Reimagine 2025.
A Luxury Cultural Experience
Hosted at Luxury Promise, 28 Cavendish Square, just off Oxford Street, the event will run from July 25 to August 3, 2025, offering ten days of curated experiences, fashion-forward storytelling, and cultural immersion.
With over 70 curated brands spanning fashion, beauty, art, music, and home décor, TALES 2025 will spotlight Africa’s brightest creative talents and celebrate craftsmanship across the diaspora.
Key Highlights
- Exclusive African Fashion & Craftsmanship Discover one-of-a-kind pieces, from bold fashion in traditional textiles like Aso Oke, Adinkra, and Bantu, to luxury handmade beauty products and bespoke interiors.
- Fireside Chats with Industry Icons Intimate conversations with trailblazers and tastemakers exploring the future of African entrepreneurship, culture, and design.
- Kidpreneur x The Veteran A standout feature returns, bridging generations of innovation by spotlighting rising Gen Z entrepreneurs alongside industry legends like Gloria Ije Anyaehie-Coker, founder of GIA1 Fashion.
- Exclusive Travel Offer with Air Peace TALES is partnering with Air Peace to offer a 15% flight base fare discount for brands and attendees flying to London, strengthening connections within the diaspora.
A Global Movement Powered by Bellafricana
Backed by Bellafricana, a platform empowering African creative entrepreneurs across 18+ countries, TALES champions authentic African stories, craftsmanship, and visibility on the world stage.
Supported by the City of Westminster
The City of Westminster proudly supports TALES 2025, reinforcing London’s commitment to diversity, innovation, and inclusive cultural celebration. The event will be featured across Oxford Street’s Instagram and website, ensuring maximum visibility.
Why It Matters
Following the runaway success of TALES 2024, which featured 40 brands and attracted a global audience, Reimagine 2025 raises the bar. As London’s fashion and cultural scene increasingly embraces diversity and authenticity, TALES 2025 is a timely and necessary celebration of African brilliance.
Whether you’re a fashion enthusiast, culture lover, or global tastemaker, TALES 2025 is where Africa’s future-forward creativity meets London’s cultural heartbeat.
Event Details
Venue: Luxury Promise, The Corner Showroom, 28 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0DB 
Dates: July 25 – August 3, 2025 
Admission: FREE — Registration required at
Bolt, Africa’s leading ride-hailing platform, hosted its Bolt Family Fest in Lagos to honour driver loyalty, reward top performers, and strengthen community ties within its driver network.
As Bolt’s largest market in Nigeria, Lagos served as the ideal location for this vibrant celebration of excellence and shared growth.
The event recognised and rewarded some of Bolt’s longest-serving and still-active drivers, who have been with the platform for 7 to 8 years since the early days when Bolt was known as Taxify.
These veteran drivers were specially recognized and rewarded, each receiving a cash award of ₦200,000 in appreciation of their commitment to the platform and consistent service delivery.
In addition to honouring loyalty, the Bolt Family Fest provided a platform to scale up vehicle branding efforts in the city.
The on-site branding process was made easy and accessible for drivers, while attractive incentives including branded merchandise, gift bags, and raffle entries encouraged participation.
A key highlight of the day was a lucky dip giveaway, where two lucky drivers, one newly branded and one previously branded each walked away with a brand-new SmartTV.
Osi Oguah, General Manager, Bolt Nigeria said: “Our drivers are the heart of everything we do at Bolt, and this event is our way of saying thank you for their dedication and professionalism. We’re not just building a platform, we’re building a family.
“The Bolt Family Fest is about creating moments of connection and showing our drivers they are seen, appreciated, and celebrated.”
The event delivered multiple wins for Bolt including increased the number of branded vehicles in Lagos, enhanced Bolt’s street-level visibility across the city and strengthened the sense of unity and pride within the driver community.
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