Marketplace promotion

Online store promotion in South Africa

Updated 4 November 2026

Promotion for online sales in South Africa usually costs from about R 2,500 to R 4,500 a month for a freelancer, excluding ad spend, while paid feed ads cost about R 55 to R 110 per thousand impressions. Agencies and retailer programmes charge differently, so the quickest way to compare current prices for your products is a request on BlaBlaPrice.

Rules and what to register

Company registration with CIPC costs about R 50 to R 475, depending on name reservation and the type of company. In Johannesburg a trade licence needs a once-off application fee from the City's trade licence department. Retailer promotion programmes set their own terms: one guide lists at least five promotional units per offer and a minimum deal value of R 5,000 in sales, so check the rules before you plan a discount.

Season and timing

South Africa is in the southern hemisphere, so summer runs from December to February and winter from June to August. A request made in November is for the summer months, so set up listings, ad budgets and any retailer approvals early. A winter promotion from June to August needs its own plan, because the weather and buying habits change between the seasons.

How promotion is bought here

Freelancers and agencies quote a monthly fee, and ad spend is charged on top of it. Ad prices are given per thousand impressions, so ask how many impressions your budget in rand buys. If you sell in several cities, such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria or Gqeberha, say whether the promotion must reach each one. Some agencies store stock in South Africa, which affects delivery times to buyers.

What to write in your request

Give the online channel you sell through, what you want to promote, how many products you have, the monthly ad budget in rand, your goal (sales, traffic or followers), whether your store is already open, and whether you want a one-off set-up or a monthly service. Replies become much more exact when the budget and the number of products are known.

On BlaBlaPrice you describe the promotion in your own words in a chat, and the AI asks for missing details such as your budget and products. It then looks through promotion and advertising providers' websites in South Africa and shows the prices and businesses it found. Providers registered on BlaBlaPrice receive your request and reply in the chat with their price, terms and what is included. Your contact details stay hidden until you decide with whom to exchange them. For related services, see Marketing services and Search ads.