Skip to main content

Consumers up spending in Dec '17, as one shopper swipes 1160 times

| Economic factors

South Africans spent more and bought more over the December 2017 holiday period than over December 2016, according to data compiled by BankservAfrica.

BankservAfrica, Africa’s largest automated payments clearing house, recorded the highest number of swipes by an individual in the period 1 - 30 December 2017 as 1 160, and the highest valued transaction by an individual at R5m.

"The main purchases recorded over the period were at grocery stores and supermarkets followed by service stations, eating places and restaurants, family clothing stores, and convenience stores and speciality markets, indicating the greater spending tendency towards consumables," the group said in a media statement on Wednesday. 

According to BankservAfrica's point of sale data, South Africans spent a total of R51.6bn in December 2017. This was R5.1bn more than the corresponding period in 2016. 

FNB senior economic analyst Jason Muscat previously told Fin24 that November 2017 retail sales data had surprised market expectations with an 8.2% year-on-year increase, the strongest performance in five years.

 

(BankservAfrica)

Pin It

Related Articles

By: Siphesihle Buthelezi – IOL South African consumers are feeling the impact of the rising costs of living with a notable shift in their financial behaviour. 
By:  Lynette Dicey - BDLive More than 80% of South Africans are using loyalty programmes — up from 76% in 2023
By: Denise Neethling - head of marketing at Paymenow With the VAT increase looming on May 1, 2025, and the usual seasonal price hikes across various sectors like insurance and electricity, South Africans face a tightening financial landsc…
As politicians around the world scramble to respond to US “liberation day” tariffs, consumers have also begun flexing their muscles. 
By: Siphelele Dludla – IOL Business Report Prices for finalised manufactured goods in South Africa are expected to tick up during the course of the year in spite of the Producer Price Inflation (PPI) moderating in February.