Takealot’s Ecosystem: Marketplace, Logistics, and Local Innovation
Takealot.com, founded in 2011 in Cape Town, has become South Africa’s leading e-commerce platform. It combines direct B2C retail with a thriving third-party marketplace of over 2,500 sellers, serving millions of local shoppers across the country.
The platform supports a wide range of payment methods designed for South African users — including credit/debit cards, EFT, SnapScan, PayFast, and Cash on Delivery. Fulfillment is nationwide via home delivery, click-and-collect at Takealot Pickup Points, and regional same- or next-day options. Its logistics backbone includes Mr D Courier, a specialized last-mile delivery network.
But Takealot is more than just an e-commerce site. It’s part of a broader retail ecosystem — also owning Mr D Food (on-demand food delivery) and Superbalist (a fashion-focused platform). Its operations are powered by automated warehouses and urban dark stores to enable fast fulfillment.
In late 2024, Takealot launched a new initiative deploying personal shoppers into underserved townships, aiming to reach more South Africans and fend off global competitors like Temu and Amazon. This hyper-local strategy blends tech, service, and logistics to meet the region’s evolving commerce demands.
Get a Quote