South Africans spent more during the 2025/26 festive season despite economic pressure, with households prioritising home improvements and essentials. Business travel linked to theB20/G20 Summitdelivered a significant boost to local economies, according to Visa’s latest Retail Spend Monitor. The report, released on Thursday by Visa Consulting & Analytics, shows total holiday retail spend across all payment methods grew by 7.9% year on year, based on transactions recorded over a seven-week period from November 1 to late December.
While the data is published independently on Visa’s website, TimesLIVE interviewed Lineshree Moodley, Visa’s SA country head, to unpack what the trends meant for ordinary South Africans and businesses on the ground. According to Visa, spending growth was strongest in: South Africans are becoming more comfortable shopping online, but there is still a clear preference for going into stores to complete purchases. People may research online, compare prices or use AI tools, but when it comes to buying, many still want the in-store experience Moodley said the figures suggest consumers were focused on improving their living spaces rather than luxury purchases.
“When you look at that category, it signals strong demand for home essentials,” she said. “Consumers were investing in appliances, furnishing their homes and making improvements, which is also reflected in the lift we saw in hardware spend driven by home improvement and seasonal renovations.” Despite the rapid growth of online shopping, in-store purchases still dominated, accounting for 88% of total holiday payment volumes. E-commerce spending, however, rose sharply by 49.9% year on year, albeit from a lower base.
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Moodley said this reflected a changing but still cautious consumer. “South Africans are becoming more comfortable shopping online, but there is still a clear preference for going into stores to complete purchases. People may research online, compare prices or use AI tools, but when it comes to buying, many still want the in-store experience.”
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