Online grocery was among the growth areas highlighted in World Wide Worx’s September 2025 announcement of its South African online retail research. The announcement said Checkers Sixty60 grew 47% in the first half of 2025 and described strong expansion in other retailers’ delivery services.
These are dated figures attributed to the research announcement. They do not establish current market shares or identical performance across every delivery platform.
Convenience is a chain of decisions
Buying groceries online involves more than placing an order. Customers rely on accurate stock, acceptable substitutions, a credible delivery window and a payment experience they trust.
The broader report described growth across several product categories and estimated that online retail represented 8% of total retail sales in 2024. That makes grocery part of a wider commerce shift rather than an isolated technology story.
Repeat use depends on reliability
Analysis: Grocery is a recurring purchase, so a poor experience can affect the next order as well as the current one. Reliable fulfilment and transparent communication may be more valuable than a temporary discount that attracts a first purchase but cannot sustain loyalty.
For a smaller business, the opportunity is not necessarily to promise the fastest possible delivery. A realistic service area and dependable fulfilment can be a stronger proposition than an ambitious promise that creates losses or disappoints customers.
Market growth provides useful context, but platform economics remain important. Delivery fees, basket size, returns and the cost of customer support determine whether convenience can become a sustainable business rather than simply a popular offer.
Source
World Wide Worx: Online Retail in South Africa 2025 announcement, 11 September 2025.