South Africa’s e-commerce boom is hiding a profit crisis

South Africa’s e-commerce sector is booming. The market is on track to surpass R130 billion in turnover this year. Local online sales are growing at roughly 20% and the sector handles over 100 million shipments annually. According to World Wide Worx, online shopping now represents 8% to 10% of total national retail – expanding at nearly ten times the rate of traditional brick-and-mortar stores.