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Dec 16, 2024

Takealot Expands Into South African Townships and Rural Areas

South Africa's e-commerce landscape is witnessing a dynamic shift as Takealot, the nation's largest online retailer, embarks on a strategic expansion into townships and rural territories. According to Reuters, the company has hired thousands of personal shoppers to tap into these traditionally underserved markets, amid rising competition from global retail giants such as Temu and Amazon.

Takealot, a subsidiary of tech investor Naspers, operates the e-commerce platform Takealot.com and the delivery service Mr D. The company's push comes as South Africa's online retail sector grows 29% to 71 billion rand ($3.96 billion) in 2023. Despite this growth, Takealot's market share decreased from 26.5% in 2022 to 20.9% in 2023, highlighting the impact of stiff competition and economic challenges.

Recruiting Personal Shoppers

In efforts to bolster customer engagement in rural and township regions, Takealot has brought on about 2,500 personal shoppers, with plans to double this workforce by 2028. "The personal shopper brings more drivers, the more drivers there are, the more need you've got for a franchisee," said CEO Frederik Zietsman, underscoring the initiative's potential to create a robust ecosystem.

This approach has already shown promise. Personal shopper Achumile Vellem reported facilitating over 150 purchases, including electronics and books, for clients primarily outside urban centers.

Expanding Infrastructure

To enhance its distribution capabilities, Takealot aims to boost its "dark store" facilities, which are crucial for streamlining online order fulfillment. The company currently operates four dark stores and has integrated 54 robotic machines in Johannesburg, thanks to a 19 million rand ($1 million) investment. These innovations in automation are designed to increase efficiency and meet rising demand.

In tandem with these developments, insights from IndexBox suggest that South Africa's favorable smartphone penetration and diverse payment options position the country as a strategic gateway for broader market expansion across Africa.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform

  1. 1. INTRODUCTION

    Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business

    1. REPORT DESCRIPTION
    2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE AI PLATFORM
    3. DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
    4. GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS

  2. 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    A Quick Overview of Market Performance

    1. KEY FINDINGS
    2. MARKET TRENDS This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional EditionPRO

  3. 3. MARKET OVERVIEW

    Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects

    1. MARKET SIZE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
    2. CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
    3. MARKET FORECAST TO 2035

  4. 4. MOST PROMISING PRODUCTS FOR DIVERSIFICATION

    Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business

    1. TOP PRODUCTS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS
    2. BEST-SELLING PRODUCTS
    3. MOST CONSUMED PRODUCTS
    4. MOST TRADED PRODUCTS
    5. MOST PROFITABLE PRODUCTS FOR EXPORT

  5. 5. MOST PROMISING SUPPLYING COUNTRIES

    Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain

    1. TOP COUNTRIES TO SOURCE YOUR PRODUCT
    2. TOP PRODUCING COUNTRIES
    3. TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES
    4. LOW-COST EXPORTING COUNTRIES

  6. 6. MOST PROMISING OVERSEAS MARKETS

    Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export

    1. TOP OVERSEAS MARKETS FOR EXPORTING YOUR PRODUCT
    2. TOP CONSUMING MARKETS
    3. UNSATURATED MARKETS
    4. TOP IMPORTING MARKETS
    5. MOST PROFITABLE MARKETS

  7. 7. PRODUCTION

    The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry

    1. PRODUCTION VOLUME AND VALUE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
    2. PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)

  8. 8. IMPORTS

    The Largest Import Supplying Countries

    1. IMPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
    2. IMPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
    3. IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)

  9. 9. EXPORTS

    The Largest Destinations for Exports

    1. EXPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
    2. EXPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
    3. EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)

  10. 10. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS

    The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles

  11. 11. COUNTRY PROFILES

    The Largest Markets And Their Profiles

    This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional Edition PRO
    • United States
    • China
    • Japan
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • France
    • Brazil
    • Italy
    • Russian Federation
    • India
    • Canada
    • Australia
    • Republic of Korea
    • Spain
    • Mexico
    • Indonesia
    • Netherlands
    • Turkey
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Switzerland
    • Sweden
    • Nigeria
    • Poland
    • Belgium
    • Argentina
    • Norway
    • Austria
    • Thailand
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Colombia
    • Denmark
    • South Africa
    • Malaysia
    • Israel
    • Singapore
    • Egypt
    • Philippines
    • Finland
    • Chile
    • Ireland
    • Pakistan
    • Greece
    • Portugal
    • Kazakhstan
    • Algeria
    • Czech Republic
    • Qatar
    • Peru
    • Romania
    • Vietnam

  12. LIST OF TABLES

    1. Key Findings In 2024
    2. Market Volume, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    3. Market Value: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    4. Per Capita Consumption, by Country, 2022–2024
    5. Production, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    6. Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    7. Imports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    8. Import Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    9. Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    10. Exports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    11. Export Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)

  13. LIST OF FIGURES

    1. Market Volume, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    2. Market Value: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    3. Consumption, by Country, 2024
    4. Market Volume Forecast to 2035
    5. Market Value Forecast to 2035
    6. Market Size and Growth, By Product
    7. Average Per Capita Consumption, By Product
    8. Exports and Growth, By Product
    9. Export Prices and Growth, By Product
    10. Production Volume and Growth
    11. Exports and Growth
    12. Export Prices and Growth
    13. Market Size and Growth
    14. Per Capita Consumption
    15. Imports and Growth
    16. Import Prices
    17. Production, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    18. Production, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    19. Production, by Country, 2024
    20. Production, In Physical Terms, by Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    21. Imports, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    22. Imports, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    23. Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
    24. Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    25. Imports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    26. Import Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    27. Exports, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    28. Exports, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    29. Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
    30. Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    31. Exports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
    32. Export Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)

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