Spree shows what women want: SA’s online shopping trends revealed

One of the most popular trends in South Africa’s online shopping space is fashion retail. Numerous companies have recently emerged trying to satisfy people’s growing want to shop for cosmetics, pretty dresses and expensive shoes online. Given South Africa’s dynamics, knowing what your customers want isn’t always that obvious. Luckily, a recent study by online fashion store Spree gives us a bird’s eye view of what South African women really want.

Given its target market, 1000 women from Johannesburg and an equal amount based in Cape Town have been surveyed to identify the varying tastes between the two demographics.

Interestingly, 84% of South African women overall make impulse purchases whilst shopping. Even more fascinating is the finding that half of these spontaneous buyers are between the ages of 31 and 36. “This makes sense, as these ladies tend to have established careers and have the disposable income to make these impulse purchases,” explains Spree CEO Krishna Motukuri.

Not so surprisingly, women from Johannesburg are willing to spend more on their clothes online than their Capetonian counterparts. 20% of the women living in Johannesburg are willing to spend US$300 on their purchases while 24% of ladies from the Mother City are more inclined to make purchases in the US$50-US$100 range.

The majority of customers from both provinces stated they’ll throw out their clothes after two years of use. More specifically, 3 out of 10 women said that they never throw away clothes. The majority of women boasts more than 21 pairs of shoes.

The majority of women hailed having “no queues, parking or jostling” as the top reason for shopping online. This was followed by the greater variety as well as exclusivity of clothes and accessories.

Competition in South Africa’s online retail space is getting stickier by the day and while prices are becoming less expensive people are becoming more confident to shop online. Founded in April 2013, the Naspers-backed company has steadily grown to become a worthy competitor in SA’s online retail space.

“We are seeing Spree’s customer base grow as South Africans become more familiar with shopping online,” explains Motukuri. “More women are becoming aware of the great styles and varieties available, with the added convenience of having all your favourite garments in one place — and a click-of-a-button away.”