The number of South Africans with access to the internet has increased by 15 percent to reach 5.3-million users in 2009. That means that the internet penetration in the country has surpassed the 10 percent mark. A similar growth rate is expected in 2010, and by 2015 there should be almost 11 million South Africans online.
So, what are South Africans doing online? Pretty much the same as everybody else: they stay in contact via emails, they research, they bank online (though many are still wary, frightened by stories of hackers stealing large amounts of money), they pay traffic fines and even file income tax returns online.
According to the MasterCard Worldwide survey, published in March 2010, 90 percent of South Africans access the internet to send or receive e-mail messages; 69 percent browse materials for study purposes; 69 percent read the news; 67 percent check their bank balance; and 42 percent of users cited online shopping as their top reason for opening the internet.
While it may not be one of their top reasons for connecting to the World Wide Wed, a high percentage of South Africans who have access to the internet, 77 percent of them, have bought something online during the three month period prior to the survey. That is only marginally - three percent - less than half a year ago. Most cited convenience, ease of use and speed as major reasons for shopping online. Other incentives include low prices or discounts and unique products only available online. A great majority of online shoppers, 83 percent, are satisfied with their overall experience.
By and large, South Africans are most likely to go online in order to buy CDs and DVDs. The next most popular items are the airline tickets, home appliances, electronics and – surprisingly - ladies’ clothing and accessories. This last category recorded the biggest jump; in 2008, only 12 percent of the participants bought clothes online, compared to 22 percent in 2009.
The trend of shopping for clothes online is confirmed by South Africa’s online auction site and marketplace, bidorbuy. During one week in June 2010, a total of 805 garments, shoes and accessories were sold on the site, of which 302 were women's clothes and 220 women's shoes and accessories.
As for the South Africans who have internet but do not shop online, 63 percent cited worries about security of online transaction as the top reason for abstaining, while 55 percent preferred to “touch and see” the product in-store. More than a third (36 percent) of the respondents said they did not shop online because they did not have a credit card.
The MasterCard survey revealed that more people are making use of broadband access technologies such as Adsl (55 percent); 3G or HSDPA (49 percent); and GPRS/Edge (25 percent). The much slower dial-up is still used by 16 percent of the South African internet population.
Online banking in South Africa
I came upon this information, posted on 20 April 2011: Just over 1.1 million South African adults use the internet for banking. (Source: Fact-a-Day).
Online via mobile phone
It seems that more and more South Africans access internet through their cell phones and smart phones. The World Wide Worx and First National Bank Mobility 2011 research project says that 39% of urban and 27% of rural users are now browsing the internet on their phones. The study excludes deep rural users, and represents about 20 million South Africans aged 16 and above. This means that at least 6 million South Africans have internet access on their phones. (http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110413005584/en/Research-Markets...)