Plea to shop local as Shein, Temu dominate Black Friday online clothing sales

The increase in Black Friday online shopping on foreign platforms has local clothing retailers worried.

Capitec Bank revealed that Shein was a big winner with its clients who spent R92 million on the Chinese platform over two days: Black Friday which this year fell on 28 November and Saturday, 29 November. 

Discovery Bank also reported that on its list of Top 10 Online Merchants by spend value on Black Friday itself. Another Chinese giant, Temu came in 6th place and Shein took 9th place. 

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Michael Lawrence, Executive Director of the National Clothing Retail Federation, encourages South Africans to consider the impact of their online purchases on jobs, saying that buying locally can make a difference.

Local businesses offer unique experiences, such as interacting with families and the ability to try on products in-store.   

“Last year, we saw a trillion rand being spent on online gambling, so we do know that there is flexibility in the South African household and there are choices that can be made.”

Lawrence adds that many shoppers are not aware of the drawbacks of online foreign purchases, such as bypassing local taxes and duties, as well as the environmental impact.   

This means it is up to regulators to simplify systems and enforce it fairly for everyone.

“That is why our regulators are going to need to step up in making the architecture clean, clear, and understandable, and in terms of enforcing it in a way that makes it fair for all of the parties concerned.”

To listen to Lawrence in conversation with CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit, click the audio player below: