SA online retail has grown enormously post-Covid
Online retail market size, current rands, South Africa (2026 figure is an estimate from a Mastercard endorsed study)
22.5%
estimated growth rate, 2026
10%
online's share of national retail turnover, 2026
~4%
nominal brick-and-mortar retail growth, through May 2026
South Africa's online retail sector has grown more than five-fold since 2020, crossing the symbolic threshold of one-in-ten rand spent at retail for the first time — and the gap between online and brick-and-mortar growth rates means the structural shift is still accelerating rather than plateauing.
Daily Maverick · Source: Online Retail in South Africa 2026, World Wide Worx / Mastercard / Peach Payments / Ask Afrika; company results
