After news originally broke back in 2022, Amazon South Africa is live – marking the marketplace’s first foray into Africa…
With a market of more than 60 million shoppers and the continent’s strongest economy, there’s no doubt this is a significant addition to Amazon’s global reach, and Amazon seemed to have employed their usual strategic nous to time their entry as perfectly as possible.
Takealot, their biggest competitor with 48% of current online sales, have seen a YOY decline in growth, dropping from 72% annually to just 15% over the last two years.
And, though Amazon has enough financial muscle to tackle the competition anyway, it won’t hurt that the retail giant already has a strong base in the country – Amazon.com is one of South Africa’s most visited websites.
We think this is a really exciting prospect for Sellers and Vendors looking to gain a foothold in Africa.
South Africa is a country with a burgeoning middle class and ever-advancing internet penetration – better still, it’s a market in which shoppers are already active.
Opening a dedicated store simply makes it easier and more attractive for them to buy.
Is South Africa a market you’d like to test? See what our experts suggest – get in touch today.