Buying tech products from South African e-commerce giant Takealot is often cheaper than buying the same items from Incredible or Makro, a MyBroadband analysis has revealed.
MyBroadband compared pricing across ten tech products available from all three e-commerce stores.
Our analysis revealed that Takealot was the cheapest for six of the ten tech products and matched the lowest pricing for two.
The e-commerce space in South Africa could soon experience a major shake-up when Amazon launches its local marketplace.
In October 2023, the international online retail giant announced its plans to launch Amazon.co.za in 2024.
Amazon Sub-Saharan Africa region general manager Robert Koen said the company is excited about launching Amazon.co.za in South Africa.
“[We look forward to] providing local sellers, brand owners, and entrepreneurs — small and large — the opportunity to grow their business with Amazon and delivering great value and a convenient shopping experience for customers across South Africa,” said Koen.
Amazon’s local launch poses a significant threat to e-commerce stores like Takealot, Makro, and Incredible.
Takealot’s parent company, Naspers, has been pumping money into its e-commerce platform to compete with Amazon.
“We are investing a lot more into our businesses,” said Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, chief executive officer of Naspers’ South African unit.
“We are well positioned toward being able to deal with whatever could be coming from Amazon.”
In August 2022, then-Takealot Group CEO Mamongae Mahlare said that an Amazon marketplace in South Africa is a “compliment” to Takealot and its customers.
“It’s a great compliment to Takealot and the people that have built this business to where it is today, and our customers in South Africa that have supported that growth,” Mahlare said.
“It demonstrates that we have built something that has built an investment case good enough for global companies like Amazon to want to come here.”
Makro and Game owner Massmart has been revamping the company’s e-commerce space for some time now.
Most recently, the company appointed a former senior fashion vendor manager at Amazon, Srividya Pandya, as its new head of e-commerce.
Pandya’s appointment comes after former Walmart North America VP for last-mile delivery Sylvestor John’s three-year secondment ended.
Pandya previously served at Massmart owner Walmart as vice president of strategic integration. She also headed the company’s global omnichannel efforts.
Massmart’s e-commerce push came after CEO Mitchell Slape said the company saw a substantial opportunity to grow its online presence.
He highlighted that many South Africans don’t know that Walmart’s online presence is the second largest in South Africa, behind Takealot.
The company appointed John to lead its e-commerce team as part of its online shopping drive.
John offered extensive senior-level retail experience during his three-year secondment at Massmart.
Tech price comparison
We compared pricing for various products, including the PlayStation 5 console, Apple’s iPhone 15, a 24-inch Samsung monitor, and an Ultralink Portable LCD projector.
Takealot and Makro tied on the lowest pricing for the PlayStation 5 (Disc Edition) console at R12,999. On the other hand, Incredible charges R13,699 for the same console.
Makro is the most expensive for the iPhone 15 128GB at R21,999, while Incredible and Takealot charge R20,999.
Takealot was the most expensive for just one item — the Ultralink Portable LCD Projector — at R2,839.
Makro and Incredible charge R2,499 and R2,699, respectively, for the projector.
Shoppers could save as much as R1,800 if they buy the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G 256GB from Takealot.
The e-commerce giant sells the smartphone for R6,199, while Makro and Incredible advertise it at R7,999 and R6,999, respectively.
Makro is the cheapest for Samsung’s 65-inch CU7000-series 4K Smart TV at R9,499.
In comparison, Takealot was the next cheapest at R10,895, while Incredible charges R13,999 for the TV.
Our tech price comparison across ten products available from Takealot, Incredible, and Makro is summarised in the table below.
| Tech price shootout — Takealot vs Incredible vs Makro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Makro | Incredible | Takealot |
| iPhone 15 128GB | R21,999 | R20,999 | R20,999 |
| PlayStation 5 (Disc Edition) | R12,999 | R13,699 | R12,999 |
| Samsung 2.1-channel Soundbar | R3,699 | R3,499 | R2,499 |
| Samsung 24-inch FHD Monitor (LF24T350F) | R2,699 | R2,499 | R2,499 |
| Samsung 65-inch 4K Smart TV (CU7000) | R9,499 | R13,999 | R10,895 |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G 256GB | R7,999 | R6,999 | R6,199 |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro LTE 45mm | R11,999 | R8,999 | R7,699 |
| Skyworth Leap S1 Media Streaming Box | R1,199 | R1,199 | R999 |
| Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones | R9,499 | R7,999 | R7,499 |
| Ultralink Portable LCD Projector | R2,499 | R2,699 | R2,839 |
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