You were previously signed up to Reveal’s Shoptalk newsletter — Shoptalk is no more, but we have replaced it with a new regular view on some of our most interesting SA retail spending data.
So welcome to this edition of INSIGHTS, a newsletter by Reveal Data.
In this week’s edition:
Shein’s market penetration outpacing competitors after just 5 years in SA
Customers spend more with Shein than almost any other brand
The real opportunity for local retailers
TRENDING
Fast fashion’s billion-rand footprint in SA
International fast fashion players, Shein and Temu, have taken the world by storm.
A recent report on online commerce in SA by World Wide Worx claims that the two Chinese giants did as much as R7.3 bn in 2024, accounting for nearly 40% of online fashion retail.
No doubt the impact has been felt by the industry, but just how many inroads has Shein made? We dive in.
Market Penetration
Of the various retailers analysed*, 3.53% of customers have bought at least once from Shein.
Incredible considering they only launched in South Africa in 2020. Compare this to H&M, which has been around since 2015, with 1.1% market share. It’s clear that Shein’s model is making its mark.
Get them to spend
But surprisingly, it’s not Shein’s ability to capture market share that is the most impressive; it’s the share of spend they manage to capture from their customers. From the sample used for analysis, it’s only Nike customers who spend more per month than Shein.
Shein customers spend, on average, double the amount that Bash customers do.
And it’s no surprise then that even with 3.53% of the customer share, Shein manages to rake in 7.59% of the total spending.
So even though Shein has fewer customers than many of their competitors, those customers are spending more, taking a bigger piece of the retail pie.
The future of online fashion
At these spend rates, it shows that Shein’s strategy of offers, gifts, as well as smart matching for upsell is doing the job for them.
But with tighter import controls and still the (somewhat) inconvenience of shipping from China, there is a major opportunity for local retail to catch up and use similar tactics. The trick however, will be data.
POLL: Do you think Shein’s dominance in South Africa will last?
*Note: Market Share by Unique Customers: Among all shoppers in the sample who bought from any merchant selected, what % made at least 1 transaction at Shein. This is a good measure of brand penetration within the sample. Sample includes: Ackermans, Bash, Edgars, Exact, Foschini, H&M, Identity, Jet, Markham, MRP, Nike, PEP, Pick n Pay Clothing, Shein, Spitz, Sportscene, Studio 88, Tekkie Town, The FIX, and Truworths.
BITES
Nespresso to Your Door
Nespresso and Mr D have teamed up to deliver Nespresso products, including coffee pods, machines and accessories directly to their doorstep, at the same price they’d pay in-store. Wake up, place your order, and enjoy a premium at-home coffee a short while later.
Spar Enters The (Pet) Chat
Supermarket group Spar has just launched its latest franchise brand, Pet Storey, into SA’s fast-growing pet retail market. The group is planning between 25 and 30 stores around the country by the end of this year, with another 100 by the end of 2026.
Checkers’ Little Shop is Back
Checkers has just launched the latest edition of its hugely popular Little Shop. With 46 mini figures that can be collected, including tiny Oros, All Gold Tomato Sauce, Sunlight liquid, Black Cat Peanut Butter, and more, expect the horse-trading to kick off with fury.
GO DEEPER
Want Deeper Insights in Your Industry?
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By analysing billions of rands in real-world spend data from over 350,000 South Africans, Reveal uncovers the patterns, shifts, and opportunities that traditional research often misses.
Our intuitive dashboards and custom analytics empower retailers, brands, and agencies to make faster, data-driven decisions. Whether it’s
✅ spotting category winners,
✅ identifying high-value customers, or
✅ tracking real-time market changes.
For anyone needing a sharper lens on how South Africans actually shop, Reveal is the edge.
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