John Adoyi, PBA Journalism Mentee
South Africans had already spent more than R500 million (about US$27.5 million) by midday on Black Friday, according to data from payment platforms Ecentric Payment Systems and Peach Payments. By noon, approximately 1.5 million transactions had been processed across the two platforms. Live anonymized dashboards from both companies show that shoppers are diving into what could be the biggest shopping day of the year.
Research by IOL predicts that total Black Friday spending in South Africa this year could reach between R146 billion and R153 billion (US$8.03 billion to US$8.42 billion).
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe provincial breakdown shows that about two-thirds of transactions came from the Western Cape, with Gauteng contributing almost a third. The remainder of the deals were spread across other regions.
Rahul Jain, CEO and co-founder of Peach Payments, said, “It is one of the biggest days of the year for our industry and for businesses.”
Transactions moved at rapid speed. Ecentric reported that the fastest purchase was completed in 51 seconds, while more than 1,400 transactions were approved every minute. Shoppers spent an average of R500 (about US$27.50) per transaction, although some splurged: one shopper spent R210,680 (about US$11,587). Peach Payments recorded deals worth R378,392 (about US$20,811) on travel and R336,262 (about US$18,494) on retail items.
Shoppers were active from midnight, with peak shopping occurring between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Jain added, “Our early-morning transaction counts from midnight to 9 a.m. are already double those in 2024.”
The surge in activity reflects the rapid growth of e-commerce in South Africa. Research by World Wide Worx, in collaboration with Mastercard, Peach Payments, and Ask Afrika, suggests that online sales alone could reach R130 billion (about US$7.15 billion) in 2025. E-commerce is expected to capture nearly 10 percent of the country’s total retail market.
This year’s Black Friday is not just about discounts. It illustrates a structural shift in shopping habits as South Africans increasingly embrace digital retail. From groceries and fashion to travel and electronics, the digital marketplace is becoming central to everyday shopping, setting the stage for a potentially record-breaking holiday season.
