Airtime sales lead Covid-19 e-commerce boom in SA

A new study by Mastercard has found – unsurprisingly – that South Africans are shopping more online since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. And the top thing they’re buying is cellular airtime.

The Mastercard study, which surveyed more than a thousand people each in six African markets – including South Africa – found that clothing and groceries are also high on virtual shopping lists.

Some 68% of South African consumers are shopping more online since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, while more than two-thirds have embraced online banking. Shippers are also opting for contactless and digital payment options over cash.

A majority of South Africans surveyed (81%) have shopped online for data and airtime, 56% for clothing, 54% for groceries, and 51% for beauty and haircare products since the start of the pandemic.

“As e-commerce increasingly becomes a part of everyday life, consumers are moving other aspects of their financial management to digital, with 76% of respondents having learnt how to bank online,” Mastercard said in a statement on Thursday.

“This trend appears to be here to stay as 71% of South Africans say they will continue to shop online post-pandemic,” said Mastercard South Africa country manager Suzanne Morel.

Fifty-two percent of respondents said they spent more money on virtual experiences than before the pandemic. The vast majority (88%) of consumers have participated in video calls for work or leisure, three quarters (75%) have watched TV or films through an online subscription service, three in five (60%) have watched comedy online and nearly half (47%) have taken part in a virtual cooking class.  — © 2020 NewsCentral Media