As the report's OOH collaborator, Network X OOH is supporting its amplification and contributing street-level commentary on what the findings mean for brands operating in township environments. The collaboration adds an out-of-home perspective to new insights into how township consumers are adapting, making trade-offs and engaging with brands across increasingly connected physical and digital journeys, says the company.

The 2026 Township CX Report shows where value is shifting and how everyday behaviours are changing, from low-data digital engagement and delivery apps to AI-assisted discovery. It highlights an increasingly connected customer journey, helping brands understand how to build relevance in a market shaped by pressure, resilience and practical adaptation.

As an outdoor media specialist with deep experience across township main roads, commuter routes, taxi ranks, retail environments and urban convenience corridors, Network X OOH sees the report as an important opportunity to connect customer experience research with the physical environments where brand consideration, commerce, and everyday decision-making take place, adds the company.

"The street is not simply the backdrop to South African life. It is where people move, trade, connect, make decisions and shape culture," says Jason Steyn, Sales Director at Network X OOH. "That makes the Township CX Report particularly important to us. It gives marketers a more evidence-led understanding of how consumer behaviour is changing and challenges brands to keep pace with a market that is constantly adapting."

Network X OOH was built around the belief that public space contains valuable intelligence about how South Africans live, move and participate in commerce. Its role is to help brands show up in those environments with greater relevance rather than treating visibility as an end in itself.

The company's approach is also grounded in the view that a township is not one audience. Consumer behaviour differs between communities and within them, influenced by route, income, life stage, language, occasion and time of day.

"The report is valuable because it moves the conversation beyond assumptions and gives brands a clearer view of what consumers are doing in response to real pressure," adds Steyn. "Value is not only about finding the lowest price. It is also about deciding what can be sacrificed, where quality still matters, which channels are practical and how technology can make discovery or access easier."

The findings also reinforce the need for brands to understand customer experience as something that extends beyond digital platforms and traditional points of sale.

For Network X OOH, public space is an important part of the customer journey. Outdoor media can create familiarity, reinforce relevance and connect communication to transport, retail, entertainment and other everyday moments. A site becomes more valuable when its role is understood within the journey people are already taking, says the company.

"Visibility without context is just expensive wallpaper," adds Steyn. "The stronger opportunity is to understand what people are doing, where they are going, what pressures they are navigating and which decisions may come next. Better insight helps brands move beyond simply reaching an audience and towards showing up in ways that are useful, relevant and connected to real life."

The collaboration reflects Network X OOH's commitment to helping marketers approach township audiences with greater precision, cultural curiosity and commercial understanding. It also supports the company's wider view that township economies are not peripheral to South African growth or downstream from mainstream culture. They are active centres of commerce, entrepreneurship and influence. For brands, this creates a need for more integrated planning that connects media presence to the realities of how people discover products, compare value and make decisions, says the company.

"The 2026 Township CX Report delves into how township communities balance financial and service delivery pressures to make the most of limited resources. It is a strategic tool for understanding how one of South Africa's most important consumer markets is changing," says Mongezi Mtati, Senior Brand Strategist at Rogerwilco.

Further information about the 2026 Township CX Report, including its release date and research findings, will be announced by Rogerwilco in September, concludes the company.

For more information, visit www.networkx.co.za. You can also follow Network X OOH on Facebook, LinkedIn, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of contributor