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    "headline": "South African Online Retail Sales Forecast to Reach R159bn in 2026",
    "dek": "South African e-commerce sales are forecast to hit R159bn, representing 10% of total retail turnover.",
    "prose": "The Online Retail in South Africa 2026 study produced by World Wide Worx in partnership with Mastercard, Peach Payments, and Ask Africa forecasts e-commerce sales to reach R159bn, a 22.5% increase, representing 10% of total retail turnover. [^1]\n\nAndrea Rademeyer, CEO and founder of Ask Africa, said that convenience has become a stronger motivation for online shoppers than saving money or finding lower prices. [^2]\n\nArthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, stated that the local online retail market has grown from less than 1% of retail turnover to a tenth of the market in a decade, adding almost the value of the entire 2020 online market in a single year. [^3]\n\nCheckers Sixty60 sales grew 34.5% to R25.5bn in the year to June 2026. [^4]\n\nAmong online shoppers in South Africa, 12.8% purchased holidays and travel through a web browser, while only 5.1% purchased these items through a mobile app. [^5]\n\nArthur Goldstuck, CEO of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za, noted that airline apps are especially useful mainly after someone has bought a ticket rather than during the sale. [^6]\n\nOnly clothing had a larger browser lead over app purchasing among the 48 types of products and services covered by the study's question. [^7]",
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