eCommerce marketplaces and online shopping websites
eCommerce marketplaces are large online retail platforms that currently dominate the South African online retail space as they have the funds to gather large audiences through their various advertising channels. These platforms, however, do allow you to list your products with them should you meet their reseller criteria. Your products will be listed on their site, and you’ll be able to take advantage of their brand and audience to reach customers on a large scale. They also handle the consumer payment process and at times, part of the logistics, which makes it an attractive option for small businesses who want to tap into the growing eCommerce interest in South Africa.
The most popular eCommerce marketplaces in South Africa are:
1. Tinge
Tinge.co.za is a South African online store with millions of products and plenty of daily active users looking for goods online. They have a comprehensive 3rd party marketplace service that offers sellers of all sizes access to their audience by listing products for sale via their site.
1. Takealot
Takealot.com is SA’s premier shopping website with products for all and daily users looking for stuff to buy online. They have a 3rd party marketplace service that offers sellers access to their audience & allows you to list your products for sale via their website and mobile App.
2. Bid or Buy
BidorBuy.co.za has been running since 199 and has grown into South Africas’ leading online marketplace, bidorbuy has created a safe and convenient way for people to buy and sell virtually anything online at a fixed price or in an auction format.
3. Localised
Localized.com is an online marketplace for South African businesses to showcase and sell their products through our platform. Similar to the AliExpress model, we are a multivendor marketplace that tailors to retail and small businesses in South Africa.
4. Pricecheck
PriceCheck.co.za is South Africa’s largest eCommerce product aggregator & financial services platform. Established back in 2006, it has grown into a platform that allows you to compare millions of products from thousands of stores.
5. Facebook Marketplace
Like it or not, Facebook has taken over South Africa’s internet usage and is still the most popular social media network in the country. It has leveraged that popularity in several ways with its Marketplace function being one of the more popular with locals. Posting regular ads on Facebook Marketplace is a great way to leverage social media traffic and to convert it into eCommerce sales at a very low cost.
6. Hello Pretty
Hello Pretty is South Africa’s top designer and artisan marketplace which allows you to list products on their platform. The site has an extensive showcase of locally-made design & craft products. You can list products in the following categories gifts, jewellery, fashion, grooming & body products, wedding products, homeware, art, items for kids & babies, and a vast range of other quality products and sell directly to consumers.
Deal sites
South Africans love a good bargain and its the reason why there are so many deal sites currently running and always looking for discounts to share with their growing audiences. If you’ve got discounted items you would like to move, then reaching out to these deal sites to get listed is a great option to try and move volumes of stock.
If you would like to leverage South African deal sites you can find a comprehensive list of local deal sites here.
Classified sites
Classified sites have been a staple of many bargain hunters and those looking to find products retail stores may not stock, custom goods, rare items or end of life items. Classified sites offer small business owners a platform to promote their goods and services and reach users they would not otherwise be able to tap into without deep budgets for advertising. It also offers you access to users with a deep intent to buy as they scroll through numerous ads looking for goods or services they need.
