AliExpress, the sprawling online marketplace owned by China’s Alibaba Group, has introduced rand-based pricing for shoppers in South Africa.

The move is part of an Africa-wide push that has seen the introduction of local currency payment options in Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco and Tanzania, too.

“AliExpress features a diverse range of products from hundreds of thousands of merchants, and we are excited to connect African consumers with our offerings through initiatives such as integrating local currency payments,” said Bonny Zhao, director of AliExpress Business, in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, localised payments build on AliExpress’s successful integration of M-Pesa in Kenya as well as Opay and Verve card payments in Nigeria last year.

AliExpress said it has over the past year focused on improving customer experience among its African customers, claiming users in South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Tanzania can receive cross-border orders “in as fast as 10 days”.

AliExpress established its first African showroom in Bole, Ethiopia last November. The space allows wholesale buyers to browse product selections and “place orders directly in a physical setting”.

More accessible

“We recognise that cross-border online shopping can be overwhelming due to payment and logistics complexities. Our commitment is to simplify these processes, making global e-commerce more accessible and enjoyable for consumers in this vibrant market,” said Zhao.