Amazon taps South African e-commerce market

E-commerce giant Amazon officially launched its online marketplace in South Africa on Tuesday, setting its sights on a rapidly growing market dominated by Naspers’ Takealot.com, Reuters reported.

South Africa, Africa’s most developed economy, has seen a surge in online shopping in recent years, fuelled by the pandemic and a tech-savvy population.

This trend has made the country a strategic entry point for Amazon’s expansion into sub-Saharan Africa.

Amazon is promising to lure customers with attractive delivery options, including same-day and next-day delivery with a network of over 3,000 pickup points. The first order will come with free delivery, followed by free delivery on subsequent orders above 500 rand ($27.07).

South African consumers will have access to a wide variety of local and international brands across 20 different product categories on Amazon.co.za.

This includes popular names like Apple alongside offerings from smaller businesses. As with its global model, Amazon stressed its commitment to supporting local sellers, with over 60 per cent of its global sales coming from independent businesses.