eCommerce Market Research
South African ecommerce has moved past the 'is it real yet' phase — Takealot now approaches 60% of online retail GMV, Amazon SA launched in 2024, and Checkers Sixty60 has proved that on-demand grocery can scale profitably in Sandton and Sea Point postcodes. But online penetration of total retail is still only around 5-6%, and the next growth layer depends on solving logistics into peri-urban areas, payment friction for the underbanked, and category-specific trust barriers (fashion returns, grocery fresh, high-ticket electronics). Brands competing here need research that goes beyond UX heuristics into commerce-level behaviour.
Why eCommerce Research Matters
- CAC in South African ecommerce has risen sharply as the top LSM 9-10 segment has saturated — research is now needed to understand how to convert LSM 6-8 shoppers who have different payment, delivery, and trust expectations.
- Returns behaviour in fashion ecommerce (40%+ in some categories) is a commercial killer, and only primary research reveals whether the issue is fit, colour representation, or buy-multiple-return-most behaviour.
- The EFT / instant EFT / Ozow / SnapScan / PayFast fragmentation means checkout abandonment is structurally higher than in card-dominant markets, and understanding payment preference by segment directly lifts conversion.
- On-demand grocery is now a distinct channel from scheduled grocery ecommerce — shoppers use them for different missions and baskets, and conflating them in research loses the signal.
- Cross-border ecommerce from China (Temu, Shein) has rewritten the affordability benchmark for categories like fashion, small electronics, and homeware — South African brands need to understand trade-down and trade-off behaviour against these entrants.
Our eCommerce Research Services
Checkout and funnel diagnostics
Session-level analytics review combined with remote usability testing and abandoned-cart surveys to identify and prioritise funnel fixes.
Online shopper segmentation
Typology research differentiating on-demand, scheduled, marketplace, and direct-brand shoppers with sizing and commercial implications.
Returns and post-purchase research
Diagnostic work on returns drivers, sizing confidence, post-delivery satisfaction, and the economics of reducing returns.
Competitive benchmarking and marketplace audits
Structured audits of competitor sites, apps, and marketplaces on pricing, range, promotion mechanics, and customer experience.
Payment and trust research
Research into payment-method preference, trust barriers by LSM and category, and the commercial impact of add-to-cart-to-checkout friction.
Customer Lifetime Value and cohort research
Qualitative and quantitative work on repeat-purchase drivers, subscription viability, and cohort behaviour by acquisition channel.
How We Approach Research in This Sector
We treat ecommerce research as a commercial discipline first and a UX discipline second — a site can be beautifully usable and still lose money. Our teams pair quantitative funnel analytics with behavioural research (not opinion-based surveys) and make sure every recommendation is tied to a quantifiable commercial lever. Because returns, payment, and delivery are South-Africa-specific pain points, we never just import frameworks from US or UK agencies — we start from the Takealot, Sixty60, Superbalist baseline.
Why Choose Meraki Research for eCommerce?
- We have done commerce-level work with South African marketplace, fashion, grocery, and DTC clients, and maintain benchmarks for conversion, AOV, return rate, and CAC by category.
- Our usability lab supports both iOS and Android remote testing with South African consumers across LSM segments, not just high-LSM early adopters.
- We work closely with performance marketing teams to triangulate research findings against paid media CAC, cohort LTV, and ROAS — rather than leaving the research disconnected from commercial reality.
- Our analytics capability includes session-replay review, GA4 funnel analysis, and first-party data enrichment work, which means we bridge research and data science in-house.
What We Deliver
| Deliverable | Format | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout and funnel diagnostic | Prioritised fix list with commercial uplift estimates | 5-7 weeks |
| Online shopper segmentation | Typology report with sizing, personas, and channel implications | 10-12 weeks |
| Returns deep-dive | Root-cause report with reduction plan and business case | 6-8 weeks |
| Competitive marketplace audit | Scorecard benchmarking versus named competitors with recommendations | 4-6 weeks |
| Post-purchase NPS and satisfaction tracker | Monthly dashboard plus quarterly deep-dive | Ongoing, monthly cycle |