The Middle East. As a leading local platform in the Middle East, NOON has yet to face the intense competition typical of the European and American markets; e-commerce in the Middle East has not yet fully entered a “red ocean” phase.

Many entrepreneurs venturing into cross-border e-commerce on Mercado Libre in Brazil and Mexico stumble right from the start: they blindly list products, get caught up in a price war, spend money haphazardly on ads, and choose products just because others are doing it. After working hard for half a year, they end up making no profit—or even walking away at a loss.

For sellers hoping to establish a long-term presence in the South African market, securing local trademarks has gone from being a “bonus” to a “must.” It is a crucial step toward accessing platform resources, protecting one’s rights, and building brand barriers.

In July 2026, South African e-commerce giant Takealot released financial results that thrilled the entire African tech community—marking its first full-year profit in nearly 15 years since its founding. A report released by its parent company, Naspers, for fiscal year 2026 (ending March 31, 2026) showed that the group’s revenue exceeded 17.7 billion rand (approximately $1 billion), with an adjusted operating profit of 171 million rand—a turnaround from a loss of 213 million rand in the same period the previous year. In just one year, the company achieved a turnaround of 384 million rand.

In recent years, competition in the European and American e-commerce markets has continued to intensify, and traffic acquisition costs have been rising steadily, prompting more and more cross-border sellers to seek new growth markets.

Meanwhile, South Africa is becoming a new target market for many Chinese sellers.