A look at how mid-market malls drive SA's retail economy
Far from being discretionary or “nice-to-have” shopping destinations, these centres serve as essential retail hubs for millions of South Africans who shop close to home, commute through connected commuter nodes, and make frequent visits that sustain local economies.
Retail accounts for nearly 20% of South Africa’s GDP, supported by more than 2,000 malls and 23 million square metres of retail space. Gauteng alone is home to 600 of them.
Across South Africa’s main and mid-market malls, the data shows us that shoppers move in highly reliable patterns.
This concentration of movement is why Provantage has built its largest portfolio within the mid-market mall category. Its Mall Ads division is embedded in these high-traffic retail environments, where there is deep visibility into everyday shopping rhythms in the malls where Provantage has deployed digital assets with verified measurement capabilities.
Everyday shopping
Provantage’s Mall Ads environments benefit from proximity-driven frequency: people visit these malls because they are on their natural routes between work, transport hubs, schools and home.
Protrack, Provantage’s audience measurement platform, is able to observe consistent, habitual movement patterns and understand how shoppers navigate these spaces in real time.
Provantage deputy CEO and Mall Ad’s director Mzi Deliwe unpacks the numbers.
“On average, visitors make 2.1 visits per day as they move to and from work, socialise post-work or at lunchtime when collecting a snack, to utilise wifi or simply take an office break. They will encounter approximately 6.4 screens on each visit, spending an average of 2 minutes and 7 seconds in front of Mall TV’s screens per day – that’s nearly 15 minutes per week and just over an hour per month. These are purposeful, routine visits anchored in everyday activity.”
“These centres are the heartbeat of community retail. Shoppers here are value-conscious and visit frequently. That reliability is what makes mid-market malls one of the most effective environments for brands to reach real consumers.”
Predictable peaks
Shopper activity follows a highly regular cycle. Footfall surges in the first and last weeks of the month, aligning with salaries.
The weekends, particularly Fridays and Saturdays, deliver the highest Viewed Impressions at more than 50,000 per day, translating into a combined monthly potential Visibility Adjusted Contact (VACs) of 47 million.
Even within a day, movement peaks predictably. Traffic increases steadily toward midday, then picks up again around 4pm as consumers pass through malls on their way home.
These daily and monthly rhythms translate into opportunity, with clear windows of heightened attention, ideal for timed promotions and shopper activations around seasonal campaigns or product launches.
South Africa is currently in the annual high-energy retail stretch of Black Friday, Summer holidays and Christmas, where these insights take on even greater value.
“Seasonal spikes are not random. They layer on top of an already stable base of daily shopping. When brands overlay campaign timing with these natural shopper rhythms, they amplify both reach and relevance,” says Deliwe.
Finding opportunity
With a spending power of R550bn annually, South Africa’s mid-market consumers (primarily SEM 3 - 8 households) represent the largest economically active segment in the country with a total number of 29,9million.
They are careful spenders: 55% describe themselves as budget-conscious, while 44% admit they’re tempted by advertising, particularly when promotions align with their needs. This audience values convenience and local relevance. They prefer loyalty programmes that deliver instant value and shopping environments that feel safe and familiar.
The power of in-mall media
Cost per thousand (CPM), the cost an advertiser pays for every 1,000 ad impressions, is a key metric for evaluating media efficiency. Deliwe explains OOH advertising delivers superior audience reach at a lower CPM than television, radio, print and most digital formats.
Notes Deliwe, “One of the biggest reasons OOH is so efficient is that it reaches many people at once. A billboard, screen or transit format is seen by thousands of people moving through the same space, at the same time. By contrast, a mobile or online ad is shown to one person on one device. That simple difference - one-to-many versus one-to-one - is why OOH delivers broader reach at a far lower cost.”
The data reveals a simple truth: the closer a brand aligns to everyday life, the greater its impact. Timing campaigns to natural consumer patterns, using in-mall digital touchpoints, and activating around seasonal needs allows brands to influence purchase intent and basket value.