E-COMMERCE
Amazon confirms South African portal launch is now planned for 2024
By our News Team | 2023
Long-awaited and much-delayed unveiling will happen next year, although no date has yet been confirmed.
Global e-commerce giant Amazon has confirmed that the launch of its online shopping service in South Africa will now take place in 2024.
The SA launch has been long-delayed and the source of much speculation. Amazon’s intended Nigerian launch, meanwhile, continues to be on indefinite hold due to difficult market conditions in the West African country.
Photo by Kindel Media via Pexels
Earlier this week, Amazon officially announced that the South African portal will go live next year, but stopped short of giving a specific date.
The announcement also included a call for local businesses keen to sell on the portal to register their interest.
Opportunity to grow their businesses
“We look forward to launching Amazon.co.za in South Africa, providing local sellers, brand owners and entrepreneurs – small and large – the opportunity to grow their business with Amazon, and delivering great value and a convenient shopping experience for customers across South Africa,” said Amazon GM for sub-Saharan Africa, Robert Koen, in a media statement.
The statement added that “the launch of Amazon.co.za in 2024 will provide independent sellers throughout the country an opportunity to rapidly launch, grow and scale their businesses while leveraging the innovative capabilities provided by Amazon”.
According to the company, it offers a range of valuable tools, programmes and services to empower sellers and foster their business growth, including hundreds of thousands of hours of free educational content to support sellers at every stage of their journey – including articles, videos, webinars and case studies.
Amazon’s decision to enter the South African market means it is taking on established local players such as Takealot.com, as well as more niche offerings like Superbalist.com, which focuses on clothing, and the e-commerce sites of major retail chains.
Local businesses interested in selling on Amazon can register their interest here.

Ghanaian consumers reward brands giving ‘relief at the shelf’
Market researchers believe it’s not simply bargain hunting. It is a recalibration by consumers of what constitutes value.

Grow your marketing career with the AMC’s Africa-focused short courses
Confederation has fast-paced online Express Courses you can complete in a week, to in-depth studies taking up to 10 months.

Holistic wellbeing and authenticity among the big consumer drivers
‘Top Global Consumer Trends’ report for 2026 identifies four trends that highlight crucial shifts in consumer behaviour.

2025 World Marketing Forum gets underway in Colombo, Sri Lanka
The forum is a premier event that brings together marketing professionals, thought leaders and innovators from across the globe.

Why FMCG brands in Africa must tailor strategy, not just translate it
If you want to win on the continent as a marketer, don’t just scale. Localise, adapt your strategies and stay close to the consumer.

Advanced out-of-home measurement platform launched onto Ghanaian market
Moving Walls and Publicis West Africa partner to offer a new service that delivers real-time OOH analytics for marketers and agencies.

Writing emotional product reviews increases our brand loyalty – study
While factual reviews benefit readers, writing these reviews can ultimately hinder the authors’ referral and repurchase behaviours.

Out now! New issue brings latest insights for Africa’s marketers
The latest issue of Strategic Marketing for Africa, the magazine for deep-thinking African marketing professionals, is now available.

Fionna Ronnie becomes Chairperson of Marketing and Media Alliance SA
Ronnie becomes Chair at a time the MMA is rebranding and showing a stronger commitment to the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Pick n Pay and Vivo Energy Botswana unveil forecourt collaboration
The first Pick n Pay Go store location is Shell Village service station in Gaborone, with more sites to be rolled out in coming months.