Browsing: Retail and e-commerce

South African retail sales fell more than expected in November, despite deeper Black Friday discounts and month-long promotions, pointing to lingering weakness in the economy

Alibaba and Ant co-founder Jack Ma has resurfaced after months out of public view, quashing intense speculation about the plight of the billionaire grappling with escalating scrutiny over his Internet empire.

Jumia Technologies is looking beyond an immediate target of generating a profit from its pioneering African e-commerce business, laying out longer-term plans to spin off divisions and enter new countries.

Airbnb is requiring most professional hosts outside North America to include all service fees in the rate presented to guests, a move that mirrors how rival platforms operate.

Although reports have emerged of quieter-than-normal retail stores this Black Friday weekend, it seems many South African consumers turned to online shopping to beat the crowds – and the coronavirus.

The South African Reserve Bank and industry regulators have warned the public not to use instant electronic funds transfer online payment services as a payment option.

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.

Uber has launched Uber Pass in South Africa, a R100/month subscription that works across the company’s ride-hailing service and its food-delivery platform offering various discounts.

Takealot.com, South Africa’s largest online retailer, grew revenue by 41% to $238-million, despite being limited to selling only “essential items” during the hard lockdown earlier this year.

MTN Group said on Friday it had now exited its 18.9% stake in African online retailer Jumia, making R2.3-billion in net proceeds.