Big change for Checkers Sixty60

South Africa’s on-demand e-commerce market is heating up as Shoprite has made its Checkers Sixty60 on-demand delivery service available via a dedicated website. The platform was originally only accessible via the app.

Huawei users will find this particularly good news as the Sixty60 app has not been available on the brand’s app store, which Shoprite said prevented roughly 2.6 million South Africans from accessing the service.

The website, currently in beta form, will allow shoppers to access the service using any browser and device. Existing customers can log in and synchronise their accounts and shopping baskets across devices.

Users can log in or create a new account using their mobile number.

Shoprite said it has been testing the service over the past few months to optimise usability before relating it to the public.

The website offers all the same functionalities as the app, such as real-time order tracking and deliveries made in 60 minutes.

This includes the recent addition of 10,000 general merchandise products to the Sixty60 platform, which can be delivered on the same day the order is placed.

The launch of Hyper on Sixty60 in October 2024 significantly expanded the delivery service’s catalogue to include 10,000 general merchandise items.

This allowed users to order a wide range of products from various prominent brands, including Apple, Dyson, Thule, Smeg, Samsung, and Harmon Kardon.

Shoprite recently told MyBroadband that its general merchandise offering has been performing well and contributed to an increase of around 10% in new users using the platform.

The most popular items purchased through Hyper on Sixty60 include baby essentials such as car seats and strollers, gardening products, large toys, camping and outdoor equipment, and bulk grocery staples like long-life UHT milk six-packs.

Checkers Sixty60, which was launched in 2019, has seen significant growth, with the Shoprite Group’s most recent results reporting that sales had grown by 47.1% over the second half of last year, compared to a 63.1% increase in the first half.

This is according to the retail giant’s unaudited financial results for the 26 weeks ending 29 December 2024.

The Shoprite Group also expanded the offering to an additional 96 stores over the period, now servicing 601 stores in total.

Sixty60 is also being expanded to Shoprite stores, the group announced on Tuesday following the release of its financial results for the second half of 2024.

“After many months of working feverishly behind the scenes, we are excited to introduce Shoprite Sixty60 to locations where it can have a meaningful impact for consumers needing the convenience of home delivery,” said Neil Schreuder, Shoprite Group’s strategy and innovation chief.

Shoprite said Sixty60 was already available from its Atlantis and Jabulani branches in the Western Cape and Soweto, respectively.

The service will be rolled out at its Kleinmond, Western Cape, and Ga-Nala, Mpumalanga branches in March.