Takealot has increased its minimum spend for free standard delivery and made a change to its checkout page to help promote its TakealotMore subscription service.
South Africa’s largest online marketplace, Takealot.com, has increased the minimum order value to qualify for free delivery to R750. It also selects premium delivery options at checkout by default.
MyBroadband first became aware of the change to the minimum free delivery threshold after a forum member reported it. Takealot’s official FAQ pages confirmed the change.
The member was also annoyed that Takealot separated the delivery amount from the chosen delivery date and made the default delivery date the earliest non-free option.
Therefore, even if a user exceeded the minimum spend for free delivery, Takealot would automatically select the paid-for delivery option.
In an example order posted by the member, they assembled a basket valued at R1,298. Takealot automatically selected next-day delivery, which cost an extra R75, the same as standard delivery.
MyBroadband verified this by placing a R2,299 Weber braai on special in our cart and going through the checkout procedure.
Where the delivery fee was previously shown with the chosen delivery date, it had been moved to a separate box underneath.
In addition, Takealot stopped displaying “Free delivery” alongside later dates where this would be available.
Instead, the company promotes its TakealotMore subscription service with a banner underneath the delivery fee and a “You could save R95/R75” notice.
Takealot last changed its minimum order size for free delivery in October 2024, when it raised the threshold from R500 to R650.
The minimum spend for free delivery was R250 for several years after Takealot’s launch. The first change came in March 2019, when it was increased to R450.
The threshold was increased by another R50 in August 2022, and a further R150 in October 2024, before the latest increase of R100.
Since 2019, the minimum order value has increased by 67%. Over the same period, the price of standard delivery has increased by 25% from R60 to R75. The fee was originally R35.
Takealot’s new minimum spend for free delivery is 50% higher than Amazon’s. The US e-commerce giant requires customers to spend R500 for free delivery.
Members of the Amazon Prime subscription, priced at R59 per month in South Africa, get unlimited free deliveries and collections on orders with no minimum value.
Amazon also offers Prime subscribers free same-day and next-day deliveries on thousands of products in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria.
Takealot’s changes could be to encourage further uptake of its Prime competitor: TakealotMore. The service has delivered substantial revenue growth for the company since launching in May 2024.
Those on its entry-level Standard subscription, priced at R39 per month, get unlimited free standard delivery, next-day collect, and standard collect on orders with a minimum value of R500.
They also get two free same-day deliveries or same-day collections per month for orders valued at R500 or more.
Customers on the R99 Premium option get unlimited free same-day, next-day, and standard deliveries and collections. A cap of 10 orders applies to bulky item deliveries.
MyBroadband asked Takealot for feedback on its latest delivery change, but it did not immediately respond to our query. The company’s comment will be added once received.
The table below summarises how Takealot’s minimum spend for free delivery and its standard delivery fee have changed since its launch.
Date of changeMinimum order value for free deliveryStandard delivery feeJune 2011 (launch)R250R35March 2019R450R60August 2022R500R65October 2024R650R75August 2026R750R75
New Takealot checkout screen design. Same-day delivery is selected by default, if available. The delivery fee has been separated from the selection box. New Takealot checkout screen design. If same-day delivery is not available, next-day delivery is selected by default. The delivery fee has been separated from the selection box. New Takealot checkout screen design. Standard delivery is not the default option for orders exceeding R750.
