Top online stores in South Africa

The only list you’ll virtually ever need

Online shopping in South Africa may still be unchartered territory for many, but more and more the bricks and mortar of storefronts are being exchanged for the HTML and PHP of virtual marketplaces. Aside from big businesses – like Woolworths – launching eStores alongside their physical outlets, cyberspace has given many up-and-coming South African entrepreneurs a platform atop which they can hawk their goods and punt their wares without falling victim to crippling overheads.

And even though only just over 50% of Internet users in the nation have checked-out online, a study done by MasterCard Worldwide in 2010 showed that most of these e-shoppers found “adding to cart” more convenient, user-friendly and easier than walking into a store, using a catalogue or purchasing from a call centre.

So whether you’ve already hopped on the bandwagon and sworn allegiance to Bidorbuy.co.za, Kalahari.net or Takelot.com, or whether this is the first you’ve heard of the phenomenon, we’ve put together a list of our favourite online places to do a spot of shopping in Cape Town and surrounds.

Springleap.com

Though initially born as a physical storefront in 2008, Springleap.com, the South African pioneers in crowdsourced t-shirt design, soon after abandoned walled-in retail and went electronic. These days, the site boasts over 250 designs dreamed up by creatives as far afield as Malaysia, France and Indonesia, and with the click of a button online shoppers can select their style and customise their t-shirt purchase (designs are also available in print and on posters and canvas). With Woolworths-quality merchandise and the brain power of a global army as an energy source, Springleap.com is infusing online apparel with a fresh, alternative edge.

Oceanjewels.co.za

You’ll most likely know her as the woman hawking tuna burgers at the Old Biscuit Mill, but her once weekly, semi-permanent stand at the Neighbourgoods Market is hardly the extent of the OceanJewels.co.za business model. This blog-based fishmonger supplies locals with the freshest fish (SASSI certified) this side of the False Bay coastline, and, what’s more, if you live in the Cape Town area she’ll deliver right to your door. She sends regular offering and price updates via email and social media channels, and takes orders on her mobile. With a fisherman father and over six years experience in the business, even if you can’t predict what’s on offer each week, you can be guaranteed that your fish will arrive as fresh as it gets. Cash and EFT transfers are accepted.

Interested in jumping on the cyber foodie bandwagon? Here are a few additional online organisations bringing you the best in artisan food stuffs.

• Thecreamery.co.za – hand-made ice cream
• Cure Charcuterie (on Facebook) – home-cured and smoked-free range streaky, neck and back bacon.

Getwine.co.za

Helping South Africa uncork some of the nation’s finest unlabelled and labelled wines since 2005, GetWine.co.za evolved from a rudimentary email marketing campaign to a full-fledged e-commerce site within a two-year period. The Cape Town-based wine portal sells the surplus of top-notch wine estates to the public at discounted prices, and then delivers to your door within a matter of days. So, no matter if you can’t trek out to Stellies for an indulgent weekend of sipping and swirling; now you can have your case and drink it too without lifting more than just your glass. GetWine.co.za can also offer wine insights, and can print personalised labels that you can attach to any of their unlabelled bottles of wine.

Yuppiechef.co.za

What started out as a half-baked idea in the minds of two developers in 2006, has quickly risen to the forefront of the South African e-commerce landscape. The award-winning Yuppiechef.co.za site searches the world for the finest kitchen tools and brings the quirky, stylish culinary equipment right to your doorstep. From rabbit-shaped pepper mills to herb savers, biltong makers and spaghetti measurers, the virtual marketplace offers online shoppers the chance to browse widely for the secret ingredient to success in the kitchen. What’s more, a hand-written “thank you” note accompanies each purchase – an effort to connect with a cyber community that doesn’t have the benefit of face-to-face contact.

Live and Let Pie (Facebook.com/LiveAndLetPie)

Anya Klaassen had to start from scratch. Living in South Africa, but at a loss for the chewy, American-style chocolate chip cookies she loved so much, she turned to baking during a period of unemployment as a bittersweet distraction from an unfortunate circumstance. A few years (and 2500 cookies) later, “Live and Let Pie”, her social media-based bakery, was born, and now Capetonians looking for a quick cupcake, cake or pie fix have a viable alternative to Charleys. With flavours like Irish Car Bomb, Chocolate Coca-Cola, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip and many more, “Live and Let Pie” is a tasty departure from the stock-standard offerings in most brick and mortar shops. Her price lists are available via Facebook, and she accepts orders via email and all social media channels. Orders must be placed at least 24 hours in advance.

Designkist.com

Born and bred in Cape Town, Designkist.com is an online surface/textile design studio specialising in locally-inspired wallpapers, fabrics and cushions. Home-grown and featuring the work of 12 South African designers, the eStore also allows customers to customise the look, feel, colour and size of their order. So whether you want ready-made Cape Dutch continental pillows, a few running metres of Marmite jar fabric or your own unique digital pattern, owner Kristen Morkel is always keen to meet for a cup of tea to discuss before you place your online order.  As an added bonus, her wallpaper is self-adhesive, and all of her products are manufactured in SA.

Madameboudoir.co.za

No online listing would be complete without a sex shop, and as a nation that still views what goes on behind closed bedroom doors as slightly uncouth, some may argue that there’s no better place to purchase your handcuffs and lubricants than in cyberspace. Madameboudoir.co.za has everything from potions and lotions to cliterature, and with your identity only revealed as an IP address, you can search the site to your heart’s content without feeling a moment of embarrassment or hesitation. Even the site’s delivery packaging is discreetly wrapped and brought to your door without the faintest indication of the products within.

5Rooms.co.za

This top-quality home and living virtual marketplace makes furnishing one room, two rooms or an entire house a cinch. With an extensive range of local (think Dark Horse and Liam Mooney) and international brands, it’s easy to peruse the best of Cape Town and surrounds’ boutiques in a lunch hour. From full dining sets and designer lamps to barnyard cookie cutters, this eStore has regularly stocked shelves, and delivers to your front door for free. Returns are also free, and prices aren’t bad either. 

Ebooze.co.za

You’ve heard of meals on wheels; this is the louder, more raucous sexy cousin. Ebooze.co.za is a recently launched (December 2011) alcohol delivery service that brings beer, spirits, wine and bubbly to your doorstep cold, within an hour of ordering. Committed to revolutionising the booze-buying experience, this eStore not only makes life (or at least alcohol shopping) that much more bearable, but it also refuses to overcompensate for its convenience with disproportionately high prices. In fact, most of their products cost less than what you would buy them for in-store. While Ebooze.co.za supports artisan, high-quality distilleries and microbreweries, they also stock all your favourite big brand names.

KIPH.co.za

An online store devoted entirely to men’s designer apparel, KIPH.co.za was founded in 2011 with the intent of providing a style-savvy male audience with some legitimate options to “reject the ordinary”, belay the advances of brand name corporates and to dress differently in South Africa. Though the eStore’s shelves are still sparsely stocked at the moment, online shoppers can look forward to new cutting-edge international and local products (particularly products sourced from companies that are owner-run and managed) on a monthly basis. Delivery is free and is available nationwide.  

---

For more information on additional unconventional market experiences, have a gander at our listing of Cape Town City Bowl Markets or Markets in Cape Town and Surrounds. 

---

Check out our list of restaurants in Franschhoek or use our events section for an up-to-date overview of happenings in Cape Town. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, join our Google+ circle and check out our Pinterest boards for updates.