• South African e-commerce, although small in share, is witnessing rapid post-pandemic growth driven by increased consumer confidence in online shopping and improvement in services offered by local players.
  • Entries of global giants such as Shein, Temu, and Amazon in South Africa has heightened competitive intensity and is elevating consumer expectations. Amazon has entered using its time-tested playbook, which has had varied degrees of success globally.
  • Local incumbents have various strategic response options. Irrespective of their approach, they must invest in key e-commerce enablers such as dynamic pricing, hyper-personalization, last mile logistics, and tech to retain market share.