World Wide Worx’s Online Retail in South Africa 2025 report, announced on 11 September 2025, said online retail sales reached R96 billion in 2024 after growth of 35%. It estimated that online sales represented 8% of total retail sales that year.
The research organisation forecast turnover above R130 billion for 2025 and a share approaching 10% of retail. That was a forecast issued during 2025, not a confirmed final result reproduced here.
More than a website
The report was produced with Mastercard, Peach Payments and Ask Afrika. Its announcement described growth across groceries, fashion, health and beauty, and value retail, rather than a shift restricted to one product category.
This breadth helps explain why digital commerce affects logistics, payments, merchandising and customer service as well as the design of an online shop.
Growth raises operational expectations
Analysis: As customers become accustomed to reliable online buying, businesses face pressure to make stock availability, delivery promises and returns consistent across channels. Advertising a product that cannot be fulfilled can damage trust more quickly than a slower marketing campaign.
Smaller retailers do not necessarily need to imitate the scale of a national platform. They need to understand their customers, choose a realistic delivery model and measure the cost of serving an order.
The report’s historical results and dated forecast are useful context for the structural importance of online retail. They should not be presented as verified current turnover or evidence that every individual retailer enjoyed the same growth.
Source
World Wide Worx: Online Retail in South Africa 2025 announcement, 11 September 2025.