Building an Ecommerce Website in South Africa: What You Need to Know

Ecommerce in South Africa is booming. Online retail grew by 30%+ in the last year, and consumers are increasingly comfortable buying online. If you're thinking about launching an online store, here's what you need to know.

Payment gateways for SA:

• PayFast — The most popular SA gateway. Supports credit cards, EFT, Mobicred, and SnapScan.
• Yoco — Great for small businesses. Simple setup, competitive fees.
• Peach Payments — Enterprise-grade with subscription billing support.
• PayGate — Established player with multiple payment methods.
• Ozow — Instant EFT payments, popular with SA consumers.

Shipping and delivery:

• The Courier Guy — Most popular courier for ecommerce in SA
• Pargo — Pickup points across SA for collection
• Aramex — International and domestic options
• PostNet — Collection at PostNet counters

Legal requirements:

• Consumer Protection Act compliance
• POPIA (data protection) compliance
• Clear return/refund policy
• Terms and conditions
• Physical address displayed on site

Platform choices:

• Shopify — Easy to use, but monthly fees add up and customization is limited
• WooCommerce — WordPress-based, flexible but can be slow
• Custom Next.js — Maximum performance and control, higher initial investment but lower ongoing costs

Tips for success:

1. Start with a focused product range — don't try to sell everything 2. Invest in product photography — it's the #1 conversion factor 3. Offer multiple payment methods — SA consumers have strong preferences 4. Provide clear shipping costs upfront — surprise costs kill sales 5. Implement abandoned cart recovery — 70% of carts are abandoned

Our ecommerce approach:

We build custom ecommerce sites with Next.js that load fast, rank well, and convert visitors into buyers. From product catalog to checkout, every step is optimized for the SA market.

Want to sell online? Let's discuss your product range and build a store that actually drives sales.