Market notes
CountdownBlack Friday is Friday 27 November 2026Cyber MondayMonday 30 November 2026GivingTuesdayTuesday 1 December 2026South AfricaOnline sales over the 2025 Black Friday weekend rose 93% on 2024, Peach Payments reported on 2 December 2025South AfricaOnline retail was forecast on 11 September 2025 to pass R130 billion that year, about 10% of all retail, by World Wide WorxSearchWhere Google shows an AI summary, clicks to websites on informational searches fell from 1.76% to 0.61%, Seer Interactive reported in November 2025Hanukkah4 to 12 December 2026
Checked 3 November 2026
Tuesday 3 November 2026Global editionThe Morning Brief

Brand Journal

Brands, markets and the stories that sell them

Markets · South Africa

The Black Friday shopper moved online, and started a week early

Payment and bank data from the 2025 season show where festive spending went, and when it began.

By the Brand Journal desk · 24 October 2026

South Africa's online retail grew 35% in 2024 to R96 billion, 8% of all retail sales. World Wide Worx, a technology research firm in Johannesburg, forecast on 11 September 2025 that online retail would pass R130 billion by the end of 2025, close to 10% of retail.

Over the 2025 Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, Peach Payments, which processes online payments for South African shops, recorded sales up 93% on 2024: 2.69 million transactions worth R1.86 billion across four days. Among Discovery Bank's clients, online purchases made up 45% of all Black Friday card spending.

The week before counts as much as the day itself. First National Bank reported that spending in the week before Black Friday rose 25% in 2024, against 7% the year before.

Read the full report →

Online retail in South Africa, rand

0 R50bn R100bn R96bn R130bn+ 2024 2025 forecast 8% of retail about 10%
The grey bar is a forecast, published 11 September 2025. Source: World Wide Worx, Online Retail in South Africa 2025. Chart: Brand Journal.

The season's dates

Sun 8 NovDiwali
Fri 27 NovBlack Friday
Mon 30 NovCyber Monday
Tue 1 DecGivingTuesday
4–12 DecHanukkah
Fri 25 DecChristmas Day
26 Dec – 1 JanKwanzaa
Fri 1 JanNew Year's Day

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