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Every day, ecommerce quietly threads itself through South African life. The parent buying a school uniform between meetings, the small business owner reaching customers three provinces away, the side hustler turning a weekend skill into a second income. Behind those everyday moments is technology. But increasingly, the people shaping that technology are bringing something equally valuable: lived experience.

I noticed something recently that I have not been able to stop thinking about. Every engineer in our team has quietly built their own set of instructions for their AI tools. CLAUDE.md files, cursor rules, AGENTS.md, whole folders of skills. Little markdown files that say how to structure a migration, how to write a commit message, which patterns we avoid and why. Real judgement, written down properly for the first time in years.

I tried a small health experiment at home this week. I have many gadgets. Smart watch, scale, phone etc. I took my training and sleep data, combined it with my meal tracking and body fat scale history, and asked Claude to set up a personalised meal plan that fits in with my daily routine. I wanted to approach my low-carb diet like a scientist.

In 1994, an engineer at a Japanese company called Denso Wave invented the QR code to track car parts moving through Toyota's factories. Nobody at the time imagined that three decades later, this little black-and-white square would be moving trillions of rands, rupees, reais and yuan around the world every year. Or that in China, cash would become so rare that even street beggars display QR codes.

From bedrooms, kitchens and smartphones, South Africans are turning everyday skills, products and services into new income streams.For many, side hustles are no longer just extra income. They are becoming an essential way to cope with rising living costs and growing financial pressure.

Johannesburg, South Africa - Ecommerce in South Africa is on a rapid growth trajectory, transforming how consumers shop and how businesses operate - and South African ecommerce platform Bob is positioning itself to meet this surge with the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer.

Bob Go is celebrating its 10th birthday and now ships over 4 million packages per year.

"How can a company be called Bob? Who is Bob? We’ve never heard of Bob!" These are some of the questions we often get here at Bob.

The promise of the online economy is immense, but its full potential is only realised when everyone can access it safely and with confidence. In a developing country like South Africa, transacting online can be a challenge, whether you’re a small business or an individual.

Bob, a South African ecommerce and fintech company, has launched a new Real-Time Payments (RTP) feature for its Bob Pay service. This innovation, which is the result of a direct integration with PayShap, allows merchants to request and receive instant payments from customers, providing a new cost-effective and secure method for digital transactions.

Bob Shop, part of Bob, a leading South African ecommerce and fintech company, marks a major milestone this month: its 26th anniversary. Founded in August 1999 as the consumer-to-consumer auction site bidorbuy, Bob Shop is South Africa’s original marketplace where people can buy and sell, bid or buy on both new and pre-loved items.

Bob Go, the smart shipping and order management solution for South African online merchants and part of Bob, a South African ecommerce and fintech company, is demonstrating significant strength in the ecommerce sector. The service has achieved a 30% year-on-year revenue growth, reflecting its role as a key logistics optimiser for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country.

Bob Box, a provider of out-of-home (OOH) parcel locker infrastructure for the delivery industry and part of Bob, a South African ecommerce and fintech company, today announced the official launch of South Africa’s first agnostic parcel locker network. This initiative will open its locker infrastructure to all courier companies and retailers, aiming to create a more efficient, accessible, and sustainable last-mile delivery ecosystem across the country.

Shiplogic, the end-to-end logistics Software as a Service (SaaS) platform behind some of South Africa’s most-loved couriers, has officially separated from Bob Group. This strategic move enables each company to double down on its core strengths and pursue new growth opportunities with greater clarity.

Anita Erasmus, Head of Business at Bob Group, discusses the roll-out of Bob Box smart lockers in South Africa. With the milestone of 200 Bob Box lockers installed having recently been reached, this is an ideal point to reflect on the lessons learned and challenges faced, and look ahead to a future in which customers and businesses alike will have fully assimilated the benefits of this new and exciting delivery method.

Jaco Roux, Head of Product at Bob Group, explains how innovative tech solutions are making ecommerce faster, more transparent and more effective, all while cutting down on the admin burden for merchants and meeting the ever-greater expectations of customers.

At Bob Shop, we believe ecommerce should be open to all, regardless of tech skills, location, or business size. By offering flexible selling options, secure payments, reliable delivery, and real support, we’re breaking down barriers and helping more South Africans take part in the digital economy. This blog looks at how we’re making online buying and selling easier and more inclusive for everyone.

Bob Group’s Head of Technology, Cornel Rautenbach, talks about his passion for easy-to-use, captivating and scalable software, the positive impacts of AI, and how constant innovation in technology is enabling Bob Group’s business goals and empowering its customers.

Andy Higgins, the Managing Director of Bob Group, has a knack for predicting (and shaping) the future of ecommerce in South Africa, so naturally we were keen to hear his predictions for 2025. He told us that Bob Group has very exciting plans for 2025, so fasten your seatbelts – this is going to get interesting!

Artificial intelligence – or AI – is a huge buzzword at the moment. More importantly, it is a technology that is developing at incredible speed. As it does so, it is impacting every area of our lives.

We’ve been involved in ecommerce in South Africa since the very beginning, and over the last 25 years or so we’ve seen some amazing changes. What’s more, we like to think that we’ve been involved in making a few of them happen, too. One thing we know for sure is that when it comes to buying and selling online, more change is inevitable – and that’s exciting! Here are our top tips on what to look out for over the next 12 months.

If you have on online store, Christmas represents a wonderful opportunity to boost your sales, end the year on a profitable note, and surprise and delight your ecommerce customers – new and old. In this blog, we’ll share our top tips on how your business can have a very merry festive season. Follow these recommendations to enjoy your best-ever Christmas, and create momentum to carry you into 2025 and beyond.

Cyber Monday is the name given in retail to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, and these two red letter days combine to create a long weekend of opportunity for online sellers like you. Taken together, Black Friday and Cyber Monday (or BFCM) are the traditional starting point of the holiday shopping season, and arguably two of the most important dates in the ecommerce calendar.

This year, Black Friday will be on November 29 – and it will be here before you know it. Black Friday is arguably the most important day of the year for online sellers like you, so you need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row if you want this to be your most profitable ecommerce event ever. At Bob Group, we specialise in providing the services and tools you need to succeed in ecommerce, so let’s get ready for Black Friday together.

In this blog, we’re taking a look at 5 important don’ts when starting a business. That is, five of the most common mistakes that people make, but which you can avoid.

Tech is a fairly new industry, which means that as a technology company, we have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes that other, more established sectors have made. When it comes to women in tech, a DEI-focused approach has proven to offer us many different advantages.

Ecommerce transactions are underpinned by trust – the buyer’s trust in what you’re selling, and in the payment solutions that you offer. Historically, the relatively slow rate of growth in South African ecommerce has been attributed at least in part to people’s reluctance to use their credit cards for online purchases. This highlights the importance of secure ecommerce payment solutions – put simply, when people trust your payment solution, they are more likely to shop in your online store.

Ecommerce is a highly dynamic industry, which, almost like a living thing, is adapting and changing as it grows. Here in South Africa, the rate of that growth is accelerating (a trend kickstarted by the pandemic, albeit from a relatively low base). Equally, there is still a great deal of room for growth – so it pays to watch these ecommerce trends.

Ecommerce in South Africa is constantly evolving thanks to the influence of global trends and tech advancements. For SMEs, this presents both challenges and opportunities.

Such has been the boom in digital sales since Covid-19 that even the most conservative estimates suggest 2030 will be the year that there is no longer a discrepancy between the country’s sector and markets in the developed world.

Bob Group Managing Director Andy Higgins believes 2024 will be the year online retail in South Africa will start to accelerate and catch up with international uptake. Higgins, who took the reins when marketplace giant bidorbuy (now Bob shop) and logistics powerhouse uAfrica (now Bob Go) amalgamated to form the Bob Group ecommerce ecosystem last year, fully expects online retail to grow its market share from 5% to 10% in the next few years.

Short answer: You need an amazing team with a common vision coupled with some luck.

Choosing the right name for your store is a vital step in establishing a strong brand identity. It’s the first impression customers will have, and it sets the tone for their entire shopping experience. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of crafting the perfect store name that speaks to your target audience and leaves a lasting impression.

Black Friday 2023 is just around the corner, and the excitement is building. Bob Shop is ready to play its part in making this the biggest and best South African shopping event of the year.

Everything Ecommerce is an event series hosted by Bob Group, designed to provide ecommerce merchants with invaluable networking and learning opportunities. This event is designed to be both educational and inspirational, offering merchants an incredible opportunity to connect with esteemed local ecommerce experts and ambitious entrepreneurs.

Choosing the right product is crucial for business success. It’s not just about having a great idea; it’s about ensuring that your product fulfills a genuine need in the market. This process requires careful research, a deep understanding of your target audience, and a willingness to adapt. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to choose a product that stands out and resonates with your customers.

At Bob Group, we believe in making ecommerce more accessible to everyone, so that all South Africans can buy, sell, and achieve their goals online. That’s why we’ve created this playbook to help you master Black Friday and Cyber Monday. With more than 20 years of ecommerce experience under our belts, we know how to knock it out of the park during Black Friday and Cyber Week. In this handbook, we’ll share our top tips and hacks to help you sell like never before.

In the dynamic world of South African retail, Black Friday has evolved from an American import into a firmly entrenched highlight on the nation’s shopping calendar. The numbers speak volumes: According to Statistics SA 2022, in each of the past three years, the fourth quarter, encompassing Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM), has witnessed staggering sales surges, consistently peaking at a remarkable 20% or more over the preceding quarter.

Online shopping in South Africa is evolving - and with it, the way people buy, sell and send. It’s time to shopaygo (pronounced sho-pay-go) - a new ecommerce concept from Bob that brings shopping, payments and delivery together in one place, while also opening up new opportunities to earn online.