South Africans are shopping for groceries online more than ever, yet many households still struggle to see the full cost and nutritional value of their baskets before checkout. A new service called We Need Milk thinks it has the solution.
Online retail exceeded R130-billion in 2025 and now represents almost 10% of total retail spend, according to recent research from World Wide Worx, while grocery delivery continues to grow without matching gains in transparency.
Arjan van den Berg, co-founder and CEO of We Need Milk, said most grocery apps still force consumers to compare prices item by item, often without visibility on nutritional information, pack size or full basket value.
“People are educated on neither the bottom line nor what each rand is buying them.”
Van den Berg described this as “basket blindness”, where shoppers can’t see the true cost of a full grocery basket before checkout. Research shows third-party delivery platforms can charge up to 39% more than in-store prices, according to research by Choice, an Australian advocacy organisation.
According to Van den Berg, We Need Milk aims to tackle this at the planning stage. Users build shopping lists and meal plans, then compare prices, specials and nutritional information across participating retailers before deciding where to buy. Van den Berg said nutrition information forms a core part of the platform.
Next phase
“If we really want to make a change, we need to get more information in there so people will actually be educated about every rand they spent,” he said. “Each R1 that you spend could be a vote on how you want to live your life, whether that’s healthier food or buying from a local supplier.”
Under the bonnet, the platform pulls live product data from different retailers and standardises it, despite differences in product names and pack sizes, and constant price changes. Van den Berg said the team built custom tools and a lightweight system so the platform works reliably in low-bandwidth conditions.
Read: Online shopping boom in South Africa
Built in South Africa, the platform is currently in its pilot phase. “The next phase of the platform is under way,” Van den Berg said, with plans to link grocery planning directly to checkout using retailers’ existing fulfilment systems. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
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