South Africa B2C E-Commerce Market 2022
“Clothing”, “Electronics” and “Footwear” were the leading product categories purchased online in South Africa in 2020: new yStats.com report.
The latest publication from Hamburg-based desk research company yStats.com titled “South Africa B2C E-Commerce Market 2022” shares insights into the online retail market development, international comparisons, latest trends, payments forecasts in the country, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The publication reveals that card-based payments in South Africa led other payment methods, as of 2021.
B2C E-Commerce market value grew more than 60% in South Africa between 2019 and 2020
COVID-19 reflected notable changes in retail in South Africa, namely, with a shrinking brick-and-mortar market and accelerated store closures, the B2C e-commerce market grew by more than 60 percent from 2019 to 2020. In addition, there was a nearly ten percentage points increase in online shopper penetration in the country from 2019 to 2020. According to a November 2020 survey, convenience, the emergence of a pandemic and short wait time/savings were cited among the main reasons for this increase in online shopping preference.
Takealot.com and Gumtree.co.za were the top visited online shopping websites in South Africa, as of 2021
South African online retailers dominated when it came to choosing a platform for online shopping in 2020. Takealot.com, Gumtree.co.za and others were among the most frequent online retailers. Some retailers, seeing changes in consumer behavior and opportunities in the E-Commerce market, have decided to go digital. Specifically, significant market players have planned to invest in a growth strategy in 2021, as well as to strengthen their market presence. In addition, one of the giant global online retailers operating in South Africa has partnered with South African Post to provide its customers with a more efficient and convenient delivery service starting in 2021.
Cross-border online shopping was led by Millennials and Generation X in South Africa in 2020
Although South Africans mostly shop online at local online stores, cross-border online shopping is also well developed in the country. This type of shopping is particularly common among Millennials and Generation X, and less common among Generation Z. Additionally, South African shoppers purchased most frequently in China, the United States and the United Kingdom in 2020 when ordering cross-border.
- 1. Management Summary
- 2. Overview & International Comparisons
- • B2C E-Commerce Market Overview, December 2021
- • Purchasing Online and Picking-Up In-Store/Curbside, by Country, in % of Consumers, July 2021
- • Top Barriers Becoming Cashless in Select Developed Countries, in % of Respondents, March 2021
- • Internet Penetration, by 10 Countries, Number of Internet Users, Population, Share of Internet Users, in % of Population, December 2020
- 3. Trends
- • Breakdown of Internet Traffic, by Device, in %, October 2021
- • Shopping-Related Activities Carried Out Online, in % of Individuals, 2020
- • Top Reasons for Accelerated Online Shopping Behavior, in % of Adult Consumers, November 2020
- • Cross-Border Shopping Penetration, by Generation, in % of Consumers, July 2021
- • Top 3 Markets of the Most Recent Cross-Border Purchase, in % of Cross-Border Online Shoppers, October 2020
- • Breakdown of Purchase Categories, by Type of Service and Frequency of Online Shopping, in % of Adult Consumers, November 2020
- 4. Sales & Shares
- • B2C E-Commerce Sales Value, in ZAR billion, and Year-on-Year Change, in %, 2018 - 2020
- • Share of B2C E-Commerce, in % of Total Retail Sales Revenue, 2020 - 2022f
- 5. Internet Users & Online Shoppers
- • Number of Internet Users, in millions, 2019 & 2020
- • Share of Respondents Who Used Internet To Shop Online for Products/Services, in %, 2019 & 2020
- 6. Products
- • Top Product Categories Purchased Online, in % of Adult Consumers, November 2020
- • Top 20 Product Categories Purchased Online Before COVID-19, and Expected Growth of Purchase After COVID-19, in % of Adult Online Shoppers, September 2020
- 7. Payment
- • Breakdown of Top Payment Methods, in %, 2021
- • Share of Respondents Who Made Mobile Payments, in %, 2019 & 2020
- • Card Payments Value, in ZAR trillion, and Year-on-Year Change, in %, 2016 - 2024f
- 8. Delivery
- • Share of Consumers Who Used a Delivery Pick-Up Point Service for the First Time During Lockdown and Will Continue Using It, in %, September 2020
- • Top Factors Impacting the Choice of Online Retailer, incl. Delivery Cost, in % of Respondents, November 2020
- • Top Concerns Impacting Online Shopping Adoption, incl. High Delivery Fees, in % of Adult Consumers, November 2020
- 9. Players
- • B2C E-Commerce Players Overview, December 2021
- • Top 5 E-Commerce & Shopping Websites, incl. Web Visits, in millions, Average Visit Duration, in minutes, Bounce Rate, in %, and Top 5 Countries, by Share of Visits, in %, October 2021
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