Online shopping boom in South Africa

Published: 2025-09-11 14:14 +02:00 by Nkosinathi Ndlovu tag: Retail and e-commerce

Online retail as a percentage of total retail sales in South Africa is poised to breach the 10% mark for the first time.

Online retail now makes up nearly 10% of total retail sales in South Africa, and World Wide Worx has forecast the figure will breach that mark for the first time ever in January 2026.

Online retail sales as a proportion of total retail revenue grew to 8% in the 2024 calendar year and is on track to reach double digits in the coming months.

This is according to the Online Retail in South Africa 2025 report by World Wide Worx, which collated online shopping and consumer survey data for 2024.

Total retail sales reached R96-billion in 2024 and are estimated to reach R130-billion in 2025

“Total retail sales reached R96-billion in 2024 and are estimated to reach R130-billion in 2025,” said World Wide Worx CEO Arthur Goldstuck .

The report shows online shopping grew by 35% year over year in 2024, matching growth in 2023.

The study found that disposable income is playing a larger role in determining which demographics are likelier to shop online in South Africa.

Whereas previous editions of the report showed that younger people – those aged under 34, dominated online shopping in the past, there was significantly more growth in spend among older shoppers in 2024.

Shifting older

The number of South Africans between 25 and 34 shopping online grew by five percentage points from 35% in 2023 to 40% in 2024. Similarly, the 45-64 age category increased its proportion of online shoppers by three percentage points from 31% in 2023 to 34% in 2024.

Read: How to succeed in township e-commerce

According to Goldstuck, the link between age and online shopping spend is driven by levels of disposable income, with older shoppers likelier to have more disposable income than younger ones. A closer look at online spending data by income level highlights this trend in greater detail. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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