We compared Takealot vs Amazon deliveries – and the winner was a close call
With eyes on the tug-of-war for e-commerce market dominance in South Africa, BusinessTech decided to test out the delivery of products from Takealot and Amazon South Africa—with Takealot narrowly taking the edge.
The launch of Amazon in South Africa in May has injected new energy into the country’s established e-commerce market.
According to the Online Retail in South Africa 2024 report by World Wide Worx, the country’s e-commerce sector expanded to R71 billion in 2023, constituting 6% of total retail sales.
With Takealot, owned by South Africa’s Naspers and currently holding approximately 20% of the country’s online retail market, all eyes are on how Amazon will impact the country’s leading online retailer, which has already been battling it out with growing fast-fashion giants Shein and Temu.
BusinessTech decided to order items from both sites to gauge some of the differences in customer experience.
This will be gauged by three metrics: online experience while ordering, the transparency of the delivery process, as well as speed of delivery,
For this, we ordered two Xiaomi Mi Pro WI-FI range extenders, both of which were to be received the next day.
This set us back a combined R701 excluding shipping, with prices separated by R5 (R348 from Takealot and R353 from Amazon).
The marketplace shows that Amazon South Africa does not have as extensive a product range as Takealot yet, given that the Naspers-owned site has had longer to consolidate its product pool.
The items were ordered after normal business hours; 17h30 for Amazon and 18h30 for Takealot.
Looking for next-day delivery, the delivery charge from Amazon.co.za was R70, while Takealot charged us R90, or the option of free delivery with a TakealotMORE Premium subscription.
Like Takealot, Amazon.co.za offers free delivery for orders over R500. It also offers free delivery for first-time orders fulfilled by Amazon. The convenience of same-day delivery (available for R95) and access to 3,000 pick-up points nationwide further enhances its appeal.
On the other hand, Takealot boasts a broader range of delivery choices.
Shortly after Amazon South Africa launched, Takealot introduced a monthly subscription service, TakealotMORE Premium, that provides free delivery and order collection.
The delivery experience varies, but both proved to be transparent and efficient.
If agreed to, Amazon.co.za updates customers via their WhatsApp updates, whereas Takealot prefers SMS, app and email communication. Both platforms also provide detailed order tracking on their websites.
For logistics, Amazon.co.za partners with DPD Laser and The Courier Guy for deliveries, while Takealot utilises its in-house Takealot Delivery Team (formerly Mr D Courier), servicing all Takealot Group entities.
The item from Amazon was shipped at 05h25 and by 08h30, it was out for delivery, indicating a gap of just over three hours between shipping and departure for delivery.
By 10h20, the item had been delivered in a size-appropriate, (hard to recycle) bubble wrap packaging.
Overall, it took just under 17 hours from the time the order from Amazon South Africa was placed online to the time the delivery was in our hands, at the standard shipping price.
Thus, one of Amazon’s talking points of speedy deliveries has proven itself so far.
Takealot (ordered an hour later than the one from Amazon) was confirmed to be shipped at just after 07h45.
By 10h00, it was marked as out for delivery, showcasing a slightly smaller gap of just over two hours between shipping and being sent out, compared to Amazon.
The order was delivered in a size-appropriate cardboard box at 16h12, indicating a solid 21 hours and 42 minute difference between the time ordered and received.
The winner
Overall, the experience from both sites was seamless, transparent and efficient.
When looking at the three measured metrics, Takealot took the crown for the online experience while ordering, with the website layout, user experience and product pool to choose from, taking the edge over Amazon South Africa.
Meanwhile, Amazon lived up to its promise of quick deliveries, taking the win on speed of delivery (over four hours quicker than Takealot).
The deciding metric, the transparency of the delivery process, was a tough call. Both provided tracking numbers, which provide detailed updates on where the items are in the delivery process.
Although Amazon opting for Whatsapp updates was convenient and well thought-out, Takealot very narrowly clenches this metric given that their tracking updates were slightly more detailed, with estimated delivery times—whereas Amazon only gives the date of delivery.
Thus, for this delivery showdown, Takealot very narrowly takes the crown,
This is impressive, given that the cite recently launched in the country battled neck-and-neck with the country’s key e-commerce player.
Overall, consumers stand to benefit and could be said to be the winner in the end.
Analysts like economist Dawie Roodt, World Wide Worx managing director Arthur Goldstuck, and Mastercard country manager for Southern Africa Gabriel Swanepoel anticipate that, as these giants vie for dominance, consumers stand to benefit from reduced prices and enhanced services.
“Takealot and Amazon will fight for dominance in South Africa, and, in the process, prices will come down and services will improve,” said Roodt.
Despite Amazon’s global prowess, Takealot’s local expertise, wide product range and strong market presence, backed by robust supplier relationships provide it a significant competitive advantage.
Some experts believe Amazon can secure a niche in South Africa’s booming eCommerce market—projected to surpass R100 billion by 2026—competing alongside rather than solely taking market share from local giant Takealot.
Simultaneously, Amazon’s entry into the South African market brings with it the global brand recognition and reputation for reliability that the company is known for worldwide for its quick and efficient deliveries.
The showdown between the two, with large online retailers like Shein and Temu adding to the mix, is going to be interesting and exciting to witness as South African consumers.
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