Businessinsider.co.za | A Black Friday shopper spent almost R400,000 before sunrise – on just two purchases

• One South African shopper spent R397,217 online before 04:00 on Black Friday.
• That's more than double the highest total purchase value for a single shopper in 2021.
• The average Black Friday basket value of R1,256 is also a slight increase from last year's, according to the online payment platform PayFast.
• For more stories, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.

A South African shopper spent close to R400,000 on Black Friday, more than double the highest amount spent on the day in 2021.

Online shopping boomed on Black Friday, with South African consumers spending more than before and massive single-basket purchases dwarfing the biggest sales recorded in 2021.

The highest amount spent by a shopper in 2022 was R397,217, according to online payment platform PayFast, which has tracked Black Friday transaction volumes over the past few years. Last year, the highest total purchase value for a single shopper was R169,844.

The 2022 record holder spent nearly R400,000 on just two purchases, with the biggest of those baskets – totalling R284,625 – bought sometime between 03:00 and 04:00 on Friday morning. This single purchase is 70% higher than the biggest buy recorded in 2021. The second-highest amount spent by an online shopper during this year's Black Friday was R176,030, which is also slightly higher than 2021's biggest spend.

And it's not just the big spenders who improved on the previous years' purchases. The average basket value of R1,256 was also a 4% increase from last year's.

Online shoppers were the most active between 08:00 and 11:00 on Black Friday, with PayFast tracking a gradual drop-off in the afternoon before a scurry for last-minute deals at 20:00.

Visa card payments remain the most popular way to make a purchase online, followed by instant EFT. Two-thirds of online transactions tracked by PayFast came from mobile. Capitec users were most active on Black Friday, followed by those who bank with FNB.

Gauteng recorded the highest volume of Black Friday transactions, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Transaction volumes in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga were among the lowest in South Africa.