According to Stitch’s 2026 Consumer Payments Report, South African consumers are becoming increasingly familiar with online shopping and are blurring the lines between physical and digital channels. Among South African consumers participating in e-commerce, 62.5% of respondents said they now shop online as much as or more frequently than they shop in-store. Only 2.2% reported shopping almost exclusively in physical stores.
The report, based on a quantitative survey of 3,000 consumers and 27 qualitative conversations, examines how shopping and payment behaviour is evolving in South Africa. According to Stitch, these are some of the findings businesses operating in the market should pay attention to.
76% of South African online shoppers spend more than R2,000 per month
Stitch’s research suggests South Africa’s e-commerce market is no longer driven primarily by small online purchases. According to the report, 76% of online shoppers spend more than R2,000 per month on digital purchases, while nearly a quarter (22.7%) spend over R10,000. Clothing and apparel ranked as the most commonly purchased online category at 78.1%, followed by groceries (67.8%), electronics (54.5%) and health and beauty (53.9%). The report indicates consumers are purchasing across multiple categories and platforms within the same week.
48.5% of South Africans now shop on Temu, Shein and other international platforms
According to the report, direct brand websites remain the most popular online destination, used by 74.6% of respondents, followed by retailer websites (68%) and marketplaces such as Takealot and Amazon (61.8%). Stitch identified one of the largest shifts in this year’s data as the growth of international low-cost platforms, with 48.5% of South African online shoppers now using platforms such as Temu and Shein.
93.3% of South African consumers tried a new payment method in the past year
Stitch’s findings indicate the South African payments market is becoming more fragmented. While debit cards continue to lead across categories, the report shows alternative payment methods are gaining ground. According to the findings, 93.3% of consumers tried a new payment method during the past year.
One-click digital wallets, including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, recorded the highest adoption rates at 57.5%, followed by Buy Now Pay Later services (38.9%) and bank-specific applications (38.6%).
The report also states that Capitec Pay has become the second most preferred payment method across purchase categories, reaching 24.6% preference for online shopping three years after its March 2023 launch.
Convenience overtakes security in payment decisions
According to Stitch’s research, convenience ranked as the most important factor when consumers select a payment method, cited by 31.1% of respondents. Security followed at 23.6%, while rewards and cashback (15.9%) and speed (13.9%) ranked lower.
The report suggests checkout experiences combining speed with familiar authentication experiences, including biometric verification and bank application confirmation, perform better than experiences focusing on only one factor.
Salary cycles shape shopping behaviour
Transaction data from the Stitch platform for Q1 2026 points to strong links between online spending behaviour and salary cycles.
According to the report, the 25th represents the busiest online shopping day of the month, while the period between the 22nd and 31st accounts for approximately 35% of monthly transaction volume.
Stitch’s data also shows average basket values on the 24th are 46% higher than on the 8th of the month, while median basket values rise by around 20% during the final week.
At a weekly level, Fridays recorded 37% more transactions than Sundays, while Tuesdays produced the highest average basket values. The report identifies 20:00 SAST as the busiest shopping hour across the Stitch platform.
BNPL expands beyond large purchases
According to Stitch, nearly four in ten consumers (38.9%) used Buy Now Pay Later services for the first time during the previous 12 months.
Among credit-active consumers, the report found 71% now use BNPL at some frequency. Electronics remains the largest BNPL category, followed by clothing and fashion, selected by 45.4% of BNPL users.
The report argues that BNPL is increasingly being used beyond higher-value purchases and is now appearing across a broader range of categories, including groceries.
Stitch’s findings also show that 48.7% of consumers want BNPL available both online and in physical stores.
Social commerce continues to gain traction
According to the report, 26.9% of digitally active South Africans now purchase directly through platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp.
While social commerce currently represents the smallest of the five platform categories measured by Stitch, the company notes that international low-cost marketplaces occupied a similar position two years earlier before reaching current adoption levels.
AI-driven shopping behaviour begins influencing retail
Stitch’s research suggests AI-assisted purchasing behaviour is becoming more visible among South African consumers.
According to the report, between 31% and 34% of South Africans are active ChatGPT users, with common use cases including research, product comparison and purchase decision support.
The report also states that AI-sourced retail traffic has increased globally and that AI product recommendations demonstrate conversion rates 4.4 times higher than traditional search.
