Amazon South Africa Launches New Pet Food & Grocery Categories

Amazon South Africa is expanding its online marketplace with three newly introduced categories: non-perishable groceries, pet food, and vitamins and nutritional supplements. The move is designed to meet the everyday needs of local customers and reflects the most frequently requested product categories from South African shoppers.

Since launching its South African site in May 2024, Amazon has gathered extensive customer feedback, which highlighted strong interest in food items, pet supplies, and health products.

With this expansion, thousands of new products are now available, including popular grocery staples such as coffee, tea, cereals, pasta, cooking oils, and canned goods. The pet food selection spans products for dogs, cats, birds, fish, and small animals. The wellness range features vitamins, minerals, sports nutrition products, and specialized supplements—catering to a wide variety of household needs.

The new listings feature global brands like Nestlé, Red Bull, and Starbucks, alongside well-known South African brands such as Beacon, Simba, and Koo—strengthening Amazon’s local relevance. Products fulfilled by Amazon come with free delivery options. Shoppers can also choose same-day or next-day delivery, or collect orders from more than 4,300 pickup points nationwide.

Robert Koen, Managing Director for Amazon Sub-Saharan Africa, said the expansion reflects the company's ongoing efforts to adapt to customer needs. “We're responding directly to what customers have told us they want—reliable delivery, good value, and a wider selection of products for everyday living,” he noted. Koen added that early feedback on the new categories has been “highly encouraging,” especially for bulk-buying options and multi-pack discounts.

Philile Mabolloane, Head of Everyday Essentials at Amazon South Africa, explained that the new ranges were carefully selected with South African shopping habits in mind. “We've focused on trusted brands and on making products available that customers often find harder to source locally,” Mabolloane said. She added that Amazon would continue to expand its product offerings in the coming months.

Initial sales trends show strong customer interest across all three categories. In groceries, coffee, tea, cereals, pasta, cooking oils, and canned foods are proving especially popular. Among pet food products, premium nutrition brands and specialty formulas are performing well. The wellness segment is attracting significant attention from health-conscious consumers, with multivitamins and sports supplements driving much of the demand.

It's worth noting that the current expansion focuses on non-perishable goods only; fresh groceries are not yet included. The new product ranges are now live on Amazon South Africa’s website and mobile app, with a dedicated “Everyday Essentials” section to make browsing and shopping easier for customers.