South Africa E-commerce Market
Explore 70.0k verified e-commerce stores in the South Africa. Compare platforms, categories, PSP/carrier signals, available contacts, and merchant-size segments.
Scanned from 300M+ domains. 136.9k with e-commerce signals. 70.0k verified as active stores.
This is a public preview. Use the catalog, exports, or API for full account lists and CRM-ready fields.
· · Next full refresh: June 2026
E-commerce Platforms Distribution
WooCommerce stores with 51.4% of stores with physical delivery (34,886 stores) , followed by Shopify (27.9%) and Custom (12.3%) .
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)
34,886 stores
18,895 stores
8,325 stores
2,715 stores
1,012 stores
554 stores
416 stores
355 stores
346 stores
305 stores
Visual Distribution
34,886 stores
18,895 stores
8,325 stores
2,715 stores
1,012 stores
554 stores
416 stores
355 stores
346 stores
305 stores
| Platform | Stores with Physical Delivery | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce | 34886 | 51.45% |
| Shopify | 18895 | 27.87% |
| Custom | 8325 | 12.28% |
| Wix eCommerce | 2715 | 4.00% |
| Squarespace Commerce | 1012 | 1.49% |
| OpenCart | 554 | 0.82% |
| Magento | 416 | 0.61% |
| PrestaShop | 355 | 0.52% |
| BigCommerce | 346 | 0.51% |
| GoDaddy Online Store | 305 | 0.45% |
Show broader dataset (all e-commerce signals)
All Stores Distribution
WooCommerce holds 61.9% share of all South Africa e-commerce stores (80,906) , with Shopify at 15.7% and Custom at 6.4% (May 2026) .
Note: This broader view includes all domains where e-commerce signals were detected, useful for lead generation and competitive analysis. Some may be inactive or non-transactional. For verified active stores, see the default view above.
Top 10 Platforms (All Stores)
80,906 stores
20,574 stores
8,325 stores
11,237 stores
6,796 stores
720 stores
517 stores
395 stores
419 stores
809 stores
Visual Distribution
80,906 stores
20,574 stores
8,325 stores
11,237 stores
6,796 stores
720 stores
517 stores
395 stores
419 stores
809 stores
| Platform | Total Stores | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce | 80906 | 61.90% |
| Shopify | 20574 | 15.74% |
| Custom | 8325 | 6.37% |
| Wix eCommerce | 11237 | 8.60% |
| Squarespace Commerce | 6796 | 5.20% |
| OpenCart | 720 | 0.55% |
| Magento | 517 | 0.40% |
| PrestaShop | 395 | 0.30% |
| BigCommerce | 419 | 0.32% |
| GoDaddy Online Store | 809 | 0.62% |
Categories Distribution
Health & Beauty stores with 20.5% of all stores (12,773 stores) , followed by Clothing & Accessories (15.7%) and Food & Beverages (10.8%) .
Base: 62,197 AI-verified stores with physical delivery and detected product categories (88.8% of all verified stores). Percentages show share of stores within each category.
Top 10 Categories
12,773 stores
9,794 stores
6,698 stores
5,896 stores
3,650 stores
3,610 stores
2,743 stores
2,679 stores
2,580 stores
2,531 stores
Visual Distribution
12,773 stores
9,794 stores
6,698 stores
5,896 stores
3,650 stores
3,610 stores
2,743 stores
2,679 stores
2,580 stores
2,531 stores
| Category | Number of Stores | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Health & Beauty | 12773 | 20.54% |
| Clothing & Accessories | 9794 | 15.75% |
| Food & Beverages | 6698 | 10.77% |
| Sporting Goods & Outdoor Gear | 5896 | 9.48% |
| Electronics & Technology | 3650 | 5.87% |
| Home & Garden | 3610 | 5.80% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 2743 | 4.41% |
| Toys & Games | 2679 | 4.31% |
| Tools & Hardware | 2580 | 4.15% |
| Gifts & Special Occasions | 2531 | 4.07% |
Payment Providers Distribution
MasterCard stores with 21.2% among AI-verified physical stores (2,383 stores) , followed by PayPal (19.3%) and American Express (13.0%) .
Base: 7,391 AI-verified physical stores with detectable payment providers (10.6% 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
2,383 stores
2,164 stores
1,463 stores
1,273 stores
1,021 stores
664 stores
499 stores
478 stores
292 stores
251 stores
Visual Distribution
2,383 stores
2,164 stores
1,463 stores
1,273 stores
1,021 stores
664 stores
499 stores
478 stores
292 stores
251 stores
| Payment Provider | Store Count | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
| MasterCard | 2383 | 21.24% |
| PayPal | 2164 | 19.28% |
| American Express | 1463 | 13.04% |
| Stripe Connect | 1273 | 11.34% |
| Bolt | 1021 | 9.10% |
| PayGate | 664 | 5.92% |
| VISA | 499 | 4.45% |
| Apple Pay | 478 | 4.26% |
| BitCoin | 292 | 2.60% |
| Klarna | 251 | 2.24% |
Shipping Carriers Distribution
The Courier Guy stores with 23.5% among AI-verified physical stores (2,313 stores) , followed by UPS (17.9%) and Pudo (12.3%) .
Base: 7,331 AI-verified physical stores with detectable shipping carriers (10.5% 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
2,313 stores
1,765 stores
1,215 stores
876 stores
757 stores
734 stores
520 stores
504 stores
247 stores
219 stores
| Shipping Carrier | Store Count | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Courier Guy | 2313 | 23.48% |
| UPS | 1765 | 17.92% |
| Pudo | 1215 | 12.34% |
| DHL | 876 | 8.89% |
| FedEx | 757 | 7.69% |
| USPS | 734 | 7.45% |
| Aramex | 520 | 5.28% |
| Fastway | 504 | 5.12% |
| Speedy | 247 | 2.51% |
| 4PX | 219 | 2.22% |
Store Launch Timeline
Over the past 12 months, 14,769 new stores were launched in South Africa , with the highest activity in 2026-04 (1,817 stores) , demonstrating ongoing growth in the e-commerce market.
Last 12 Months
1,817 stores launched
1,915 stores launched
1,557 stores launched
1,538 stores launched
1,032 stores launched
1,174 stores launched
1,143 stores launched
1,004 stores launched
1,095 stores launched
1,028 stores launched
945 stores launched
521 stores launched
Monthly Trend
12.3% of last 12 months
13.0% of last 12 months
10.5% of last 12 months
10.4% of last 12 months
7.0% of last 12 months
7.9% of last 12 months
7.7% of last 12 months
6.8% of last 12 months
7.4% of last 12 months
7.0% of last 12 months
6.4% of last 12 months
3.5% of last 12 months
| Month | Stores Launched | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 1817 | 12.30% |
| 2026-03 | 1915 | 12.97% |
| 2026-02 | 1557 | 10.54% |
| 2026-01 | 1538 | 10.41% |
| 2025-12 | 1032 | 6.99% |
| 2025-11 | 1174 | 7.95% |
| 2025-10 | 1143 | 7.74% |
| 2025-09 | 1004 | 6.80% |
| 2025-08 | 1095 | 7.41% |
| 2025-07 | 1028 | 6.96% |
| 2025-06 | 945 | 6.40% |
| 2025-05 | 521 | 3.53% |
Active Stores by Launch Year
Currently, 68,454 active stores in South Africa are tracked in our database , with the most stores launched in 2026 (7,053 stores still active) . This shows the distribution of currently active stores by their original launch year.
Active Stores by Launch Year
7,053 active stores
11,019 active stores
7,061 active stores
5,374 active stores
4,769 active stores
5,397 active stores
5,172 active stores
3,522 active stores
3,418 active stores
3,385 active stores
1,334 active stores
1,049 active stores
988 active stores
1,413 active stores
873 active stores
Distribution by Launch Year
10.3% of tracked active stores
16.1% of tracked active stores
10.3% of tracked active stores
7.9% of tracked active stores
7.0% of tracked active stores
7.9% of tracked active stores
7.6% of tracked active stores
5.1% of tracked active stores
5.0% of tracked active stores
4.9% of tracked active stores
1.9% of tracked active stores
1.5% of tracked active stores
1.4% of tracked active stores
2.1% of tracked active stores
1.3% of tracked active stores
| Launch Year | Active Stores | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7053 | 10.30% |
| 2025 | 11019 | 16.10% |
| 2024 | 7061 | 10.31% |
| 2023 | 5374 | 7.85% |
| 2022 | 4769 | 6.97% |
| 2021 | 5397 | 7.88% |
| 2020 | 5172 | 7.56% |
| 2019 | 3522 | 5.15% |
| 2018 | 3418 | 4.99% |
| 2017 | 3385 | 4.94% |
| 2016 | 1334 | 1.95% |
| 2015 | 1049 | 1.53% |
| 2014 | 988 | 1.44% |
| 2013 | 1413 | 2.06% |
| 2012 | 873 | 1.28% |
Featured Stores
A selection of notable and recently launched stores in this segment.
New Stores
Recently launched stores detected by ShopRank in the last full month.
Shopify - Sporting Goods & Outdoor Gear
Shopify - Health & Beauty
Shopify - Clothing & Accessories
Shopify - Health & Beauty
Shopify - Jewelry & Watches
Data Coverage
| Field | Rows count | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Website | 70.0k | 100.00% |
| Emails | 37.6k | 53.69% |
| Phones | 29.2k | 41.65% |
| Ecommerce platform | 70.0k | 100.00% |
| Couriers | 7.3k | 10.47% |
| Payment Providers | 7.4k | 10.55% |
| Categories | 63.9k | 91.23% |
| Social Media | 44.3k | 63.30% |
Coverage reflects detectability from public website analysis. Payment providers and shipping carriers are identified from checkout pages and shipping widgets. Stores using off-site payment flows or custom shipping integrations may not be detected. Actual adoption rates are higher than shown.
Market Intelligence
On-demand market analysis
Self-service access to market data and insights
- Search and segment stores by any criteria
- API integration for automated workflows
- Monthly data refreshes
- Market sizing and segmentation
Strategic Intelligence
Custom research and competitive analysis
Tailored intelligence for strategic decisions
- Custom market reports and analysis
- Competitive landscape monitoring
- Dedicated analyst support
- Flexible licensing and enterprise pricing
Market Intelligence
Understand the South Africa e-commerce landscape:
Analyze 70.0k verified e-commerce stores in South Africa - technology adoption, market share, competitive positioning.
- Track Competitive Shifts
-
Monitor platform migrations, technology adoption, and market share changes across South Africa e-commerce.
- Size Your Addressable Market
-
Segment stores by country, platform, category, PSP, carrier, technology, and merchant-size signals to quantify your market opportunity.
- Monitor Adoption Trends
-
Identify which payment providers, shipping carriers, and platforms are gaining or losing traction.
Data Access
- Interactive search and filtering via web app
- REST API for programmatic access and automation
- Monthly data refreshes with historical tracking
Use Cases
- Competitive intelligence and market sizing
- Technology adoption and platform migration analysis
- Sales prospecting and account-based targeting
- Investment research and due diligence
Explore Other Markets
Frequently Asked Questions
- What data is included in the South Africa e-commerce intelligence?
-
We track 70.0k verified South Africa e-commerce stores with 50+ data points per store: e-commerce platform, product counts, categories, payment providers, shipping carriers, technology stack, merchant-size signals, and available business contact fields.
- How is the data collected and how often is it updated?
-
We continuously crawl 300M+ domains using proprietary web crawlers, AI classification, and technology fingerprinting. The database is refreshed monthly, so you always work with current market data.
- How do I access the data?
-
Self-service plans give you instant access through our web app and REST API. You can search, filter, and segment stores interactively or integrate programmatically into your workflows. View plans →
- Can I filter by specific segments?
-
Yes. You can segment by country, platform, product category, payment provider, shipping carrier, technology stack, store age, cross-border signals, and merchant-size bands. Some advanced signals are plan-gated, and the same field contract is used by the web app, exports, and API.
- Do you offer enterprise or custom licensing?
-
Yes. For large-scale data needs, custom market reports, or dedicated support, contact us to discuss enterprise pricing.
Social Media Usage
Facebook stores with 32.8% among stores with at least one detectable social profile (37,128 stores) , followed by Instagram (30.8%) and YouTube (8.0%) .
Base: 44,328 stores with any detectable social profile (63.3% 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
37,128 stores
34,874 stores
9,021 stores
8,357 stores
7,543 stores
5,040 stores
4,809 stores
3,544 stores
2,645 stores
194 stores
Visual Distribution
37,128 stores
34,874 stores
9,021 stores
8,357 stores
7,543 stores
5,040 stores
4,809 stores
3,544 stores
2,645 stores
194 stores