University of Pretoria: E-commerce growing in South Africa
Key points:
- South Africans are most likely to buy books, air or theatre tickets, software and computer equipment online
- The B2C market is worth an estimated $500 m...
- ...while the B2B market is worth about $2.4 bn
According to a study from the University of Pretoria, summarised by Nua Internet Surveys, almost half of Internet users have made a purchase online
Forty-seven percent of South African Internet users have made an online purchase, according to a new study from the University of Pretoria.
South Africans are most likely to buy books, theatre tickets, air tickets, software, and computer equipment online and their favourite e-commerce sites are Amazon.com, Bidorbuy.co.za, and Mweb.co.za. The average annual online spend per user is R3,933 ($470).
Sixty percent of the South African Internet users that do not buy online say security worries, and not owning credit cards are the main reasons they are staying away from e-commerce. The University estimates that the B2C market in South Africa is worth R3.9 billion ($500 m), while the B2B market is worth about R20 bn ($2.4 bn).
Internet users in South Africa are more likely to be white, male, aged between 20 and 40, well-educated, and high-earning. Only 5% of the total population has Internet access.
Thirty-six percent of users go online at work, 19% at home, and 45% in both locations. Their preferred online activities are e-mail, research, browsing, entertainment, and online banking.
The Department of Informatics at the University of Pretoria polled 6000 Internet users for the purposes of this study.
Source: Republished by the EIU ebusiness forum with the permission of Nua Internet Surveys.
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