South Africa E-commerce Database
Explore 96.4k e-commerce stores in the South Africa. Instant access to technologies, contacts, platforms, and market dynamics.
· · Next full refresh: January 2026
E-commerce Platforms Distribution
WooCommerce leads with 44.7% of stores with physical delivery (42,419 stores) , followed by Shopify (24.0%) and Custom (22.9%) .
Note: This distribution covers only stores selling physical products with active shopping carts and physical product shipping. Digital products, services, and non-transactional sites are excluded. All stores are verified by our proprietary AI model to ensure accurate e-commerce classification.
Top 10 Platforms (Physical Delivery)
42,419 stores
22,742 stores
21,720 stores
4,119 stores
1,162 stores
696 stores
605 stores
513 stores
495 stores
399 stores
Visual Distribution
| Platform | Stores with Physical Delivery | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce | 42419 | 44.71% |
| Shopify | 22742 | 23.97% |
| Custom | 21720 | 22.89% |
| Wix eCommerce | 4119 | 4.34% |
| Squarespace Commerce | 1162 | 1.22% |
| OpenCart | 696 | 0.73% |
| GoDaddy Online Store | 605 | 0.64% |
| PrestaShop | 513 | 0.54% |
| Magento | 495 | 0.52% |
| BigCommerce | 399 | 0.42% |
All Stores Distribution
WooCommerce holds 55.0% share of all South Africa e-commerce stores (83,139) , with Shopify at 16.9% and Custom at 14.4% (December 2025) .
Note: This broader distribution includes all stores with e-commerce indicators such as platform detection, shopping cart presence, or payment integration. This liberal approach may include some false positives (e.g., WooCommerce installations used for non-commercial purposes) but provides comprehensive market coverage for lead generation and competitive analysis.
Top 10 Platforms (All Stores)
83,139 stores
25,485 stores
21,720 stores
12,559 stores
4,740 stores
905 stores
867 stores
566 stores
645 stores
462 stores
Visual Distribution
| Platform | Total Stores | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce | 83139 | 55.03% |
| Shopify | 25485 | 16.87% |
| Custom | 21720 | 14.38% |
| Wix eCommerce | 12559 | 8.31% |
| Squarespace Commerce | 4740 | 3.14% |
| OpenCart | 905 | 0.60% |
| GoDaddy Online Store | 867 | 0.57% |
| PrestaShop | 566 | 0.37% |
| Magento | 645 | 0.43% |
| BigCommerce | 462 | 0.31% |
Categories Distribution
Clothing & Accessories leads with 19.3% of all stores (13,279 stores) , followed by Health & Beauty (18.4%) and Food & Beverages (10.1%) .
Top 10 Categories
13,279 stores
12,680 stores
6,988 stores
6,607 stores
4,632 stores
3,539 stores
3,517 stores
2,933 stores
2,787 stores
2,613 stores
Visual Distribution
| Category | Number of Stores | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing & Accessories | 13279 | 19.27% |
| Health & Beauty | 12680 | 18.41% |
| Food & Beverages | 6988 | 10.14% |
| Electronics & Technology | 6607 | 9.59% |
| Vehicles & Parts | 4632 | 6.72% |
| Furniture & Home Decor | 3539 | 5.14% |
| Home & Garden | 3517 | 5.10% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 2933 | 4.26% |
| Sporting Goods & Outdoor Gear | 2787 | 4.05% |
| Jewelry & Watches | 2613 | 3.79% |
| Business & Industrial | 2329 | 3.38% |
| Tools & Hardware | 1905 | 2.77% |
| Gifts & Special Occasions | 1848 | 2.68% |
| Books & Media | 1690 | 2.45% |
| Pets & Pet Supplies | 1547 | 2.25% |
Payment Providers Distribution
MasterCard leads with 21.3% among AI-verified physical stores (3,697 stores) , followed by PayPal (19.2%) and American Express (13.2%) .
Base: 11,655 AI-verified physical stores with detectable payment providers (12.1% coverage of all stores). Percentages show share of detected provider instances (stores may use multiple providers).
Detected from checkout/payment scripts and provider tags; off-site/manual payments excluded where undetectable.
Top 10 Payment Providers
3,697 stores
3,333 stores
2,282 stores
1,717 stores
1,529 stores
1,132 stores
759 stores
605 stores
506 stores
489 stores
Visual Distribution
| Payment Provider | Store Count | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
| MasterCard | 3697 | 21.31% |
| PayPal | 3333 | 19.22% |
| American Express | 2282 | 13.16% |
| Stripe Connect | 1717 | 9.90% |
| Bolt | 1529 | 8.82% |
| PayGate | 1132 | 6.53% |
| VISA | 759 | 4.38% |
| Apple Pay | 605 | 3.49% |
| Paddle | 506 | 2.92% |
| BitCoin | 489 | 2.82% |
| Google Pay | 325 | 1.87% |
| JCB | 314 | 1.81% |
| Klarna | 307 | 1.77% |
| iDEAL | 181 | 1.04% |
| PayU | 169 | 0.97% |
Shipping Carriers Distribution
The Courier Guy leads with 21.9% among AI-verified physical stores (3,159 stores) , followed by UPS (17.8%) and Pudo (10.3%) .
Base: 10,677 AI-verified physical stores with detectable shipping carriers (11.1% coverage of all stores). Percentages show share of detected carrier instances (stores may use multiple carriers).
Detected from checkout/shipping pages and shipment widgets; cross-border carriers included where visible.
Top 10 Shipping Carriers
Visual Distribution
| Shipping Carrier | Store Count | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Courier Guy | 3159 | 21.89% |
| UPS | 2562 | 17.75% |
| Pudo | 1491 | 10.33% |
| DHL | 1424 | 9.87% |
| FedEx | 1186 | 8.22% |
| USPS | 1165 | 8.07% |
| Aramex | 874 | 6.06% |
| Fastway | 762 | 5.28% |
| Speedy | 382 | 2.65% |
| 4PX | 336 | 2.33% |
| PostNL | 240 | 1.66% |
| GLS | 240 | 1.66% |
| Royal Mail | 213 | 1.48% |
| Hermes | 205 | 1.42% |
| Dawn Wing | 192 | 1.33% |
Store Launch Timeline
Over the past 12 months, 21,006 new stores were launched in South Africa , with the highest activity in 2025-11 (2,776 stores) , demonstrating ongoing growth in the e-commerce market.
Last 12 Months
2,776 stores launched
2,314 stores launched
1,969 stores launched
2,087 stores launched
2,004 stores launched
1,739 stores launched
1,769 stores launched
1,502 stores launched
1,703 stores launched
1,374 stores launched
1,327 stores launched
442 stores launched
Monthly Trend
| Month | Stores Launched | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 2776 | 13.22% |
| 2025-10 | 2314 | 11.02% |
| 2025-09 | 1969 | 9.37% |
| 2025-08 | 2087 | 9.94% |
| 2025-07 | 2004 | 9.54% |
| 2025-06 | 1739 | 8.28% |
| 2025-05 | 1769 | 8.42% |
| 2025-04 | 1502 | 7.15% |
| 2025-03 | 1703 | 8.11% |
| 2025-02 | 1374 | 6.54% |
| 2025-01 | 1327 | 6.32% |
| 2024-12 | 442 | 2.10% |
Active Stores by Launch Year
Currently, 93,869 active stores in South Africa are tracked in our database , with the most stores launched in 2025 (20,576 stores still active) . This shows the distribution of currently active stores by their original launch year.
Active Stores by Launch Year
20,576 active stores
10,193 active stores
7,351 active stores
6,706 active stores
7,358 active stores
7,284 active stores
5,186 active stores
4,892 active stores
4,831 active stores
1,971 active stores
1,645 active stores
1,585 active stores
2,303 active stores
1,458 active stores
1,484 active stores
Distribution by Launch Year
| Launch Year | Active Stores | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20576 | 21.92% |
| 2024 | 10193 | 10.86% |
| 2023 | 7351 | 7.83% |
| 2022 | 6706 | 7.14% |
| 2021 | 7358 | 7.84% |
| 2020 | 7284 | 7.76% |
| 2019 | 5186 | 5.52% |
| 2018 | 4892 | 5.21% |
| 2017 | 4831 | 5.15% |
| 2016 | 1971 | 2.10% |
| 2015 | 1645 | 1.75% |
| 2014 | 1585 | 1.69% |
| 2013 | 2303 | 2.45% |
| 2012 | 1458 | 1.55% |
| 2011 | 1484 | 1.58% |
| 2010 | 1231 | 1.31% |
| 2009 | 1146 | 1.22% |
| 2008 | 946 | 1.01% |
| 2007 | 892 | 0.95% |
| 2006 | 801 | 0.85% |
| 2005 | 518 | 0.55% |
| 2004 | 625 | 0.67% |
| 2003 | 593 | 0.63% |
| 2002 | 499 | 0.53% |
| 2001 | 636 | 0.68% |
| 2000 | 446 | 0.48% |
| 1999 | 314 | 0.33% |
| 1998 | 228 | 0.24% |
| 1997 | 99 | 0.11% |
| 1996 | 60 | 0.06% |
| 1995 | 12 | 0.01% |
Featured Stores
Discover the strongest performers and newest entrants in South Africa's e-commerce landscape.
Top Stores by GMV
Data will be available soon.
New Stores
Recently launched ecommerce sites detected by ShopRank in the last full month.
WooCommerce — Electronics & Technology
Shopify — Home & Garden
Shopify
Shopify — Electronics & Technology
WooCommerce — Business & Industrial
Dataset Coverage
| Field | Rows count | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Website | 96.4k | 100.00% |
| Emails | 57.8k | 59.99% |
| Phones | 23.3k | 24.19% |
| Ecommerce platform | 96.4k | 100.00% |
| Couriers | 10.7k | 11.08% |
| Payment Providers | 11.7k | 12.09% |
| Categories | 72.0k | 74.70% |
| Social Media | 58.4k | 60.59% |
Starter Package
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Maximize Your ROI
Use our detailed South Africa E-commerce Database to:
Gain actionable insights into 96.4k physical stores in South Africa.
- Identify High-Value Leads
-
Quickly find and contact the best decision-makers at South Africa online stores.
- Conduct Competitive Analysis
-
Analyze your competitors' market share, product categories, and technology stacks.
- Direct Outreach
-
Access verified business contacts to accelerate your sales and marketing outreach.
Data Format & Delivery
Available Formats
- CSV
- Excel (XLS/XLSX)
- Text (TXT)
Delivery Methods
- Direct download
- Email delivery
- API access
Use Cases
- Lead Generation
- B2B Marketing
- Direct Marketing
- Email Marketing
- B2B Retargeting
- Market Research
Frequently Asked Questions
- What data is included in the South Africa E-commerce Database?
-
Our database covers over 96.4k South Africa physical stores, including website URLs, verified contacts (emails, phones), e-commerce platforms, product counts, categories, estimated monthly traffic, and more.
- How fresh is your data and how often is it updated?
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We update our database quarterly, using web crawling, AI analysis, and manual verification. This ensures you always receive the most accurate, relevant, and actionable data.
- Can I get a free sample before purchasing?
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Absolutely! Contact us to request a free sample dataset customized to your needs. We're happy to provide demos and answer any questions.
- Can I buy only selected segments of data?
-
Yes, you can purchase targeted segments tailored specifically to your business needs—by industry, platform, store size, and more. Contact us for details.
- How quickly can I access the full dataset after purchase?
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You'll receive immediate access upon payment completion. Our data can be downloaded directly or delivered via email or API.
- What licensing options are available?
-
We offer flexible licensing: one-time purchases, annual subscriptions, and customized enterprise plans. Reach out to discuss the best solution for your business.
Social Media Usage
Facebook leads with 33.4% among stores with at least one detectable social profile (48,959 stores) , followed by Instagram (30.0%) and YouTube (8.4%) .
Base: 58,399 stores with any detectable social profile (60.6% of all stores). Percentages show share of detected platform instances (stores may use multiple platforms).
Links and embeds detected on public pages; private/hidden profiles not counted.
Top 10 Social Platforms
48,959 stores
44,015 stores
12,283 stores
10,979 stores
10,092 stores
7,404 stores
5,896 stores
3,723 stores
3,162 stores
232 stores
Visual Distribution