South Africa’s online retail market is expected to reach R159 billion in 2026, with online shopping set to account for about 10% of total retail turnover for the first full calendar year
South Africa’s online retail sales are expected to reach R159 billion in 2026, accounting for about 10% of total retail sales.
This is according to the Online Retail in South Africa 2026 report by World Wide Worx, in partnership with Mastercard, Peach Payments and Ask Afrika. The report estimates that online retail will grow by 22.5% this year, adding about R29 billion to the market as more South Africans turn to online shopping.
The R29 billion expected increase in 2026 is almost equal to the size of the entire online retail market in 2020, when online sales were worth about R30.2 billion.
The research also shows that major retailers are reporting strong growth in their online businesses. Checkers Sixty60 sales grew by 34.5% to R25.5 billion, while Pick n Pay’s online turnover increased by 32.7% and TFG Africa’s online sales grew by 49.2%.
