Effective Measure, a digital media solutions company, reports that bloggers in South Africa are shopping online 29% more than the average South African web user, and believes that this online community is a ‘perfect target audience’ to drive e-commerce growth in the country.

Francois Vorster, business development manager of Effective Measure in South Africa says, “Bloggers in South Africa are more likely to be high earners; over a quarter earn a minimum of R50000 [equivalent of AUD$6008.54] monthly. A high disposable income provides bloggers with the means to combine time spent online with shopping through online retailers.

“Bloggers make great customers as they add third-party endorsement and credibility to products due to their tendency to share and post online reviews. Brands looking to explore e-commerce opportunities and multi-platform brand engagement may want to consider bloggers as a target audience”.

The study also found that compared to the average South African internet users, their blogging counterparts are more comfortable with purchasing online. They are 59% more likely to purchase consumer electronics online, 20% more likely to download music, 17% more like to book holidays online and 10% more like to use online banking.

The South African blogging community is also more male skewed, with 60% being men and mostly aged between 25-44. They also tend to come from the IT, finance, real estate or communication industries and are mostly owners of their property.