Prepaid airtime and data are the most used value-added services, with 95% of the South African population purchasing this VAS.

The majority of low-income households prefer to buy airtime and data through spaza shops.

This recent research into consumer behaviour by Electrum suggests that accessibility is a strong driver. Spaza shops have the highest daily transactions for airtime and data and they are more accessible in low-income areas than larger retailers.

In a country where mobile access is often the first and only digital touchpoint, prepaid airtime and data are no longer luxuries – they’re lifelines that support every level of human need.

The research into how South Africans purchase value-added services such as prepaid airtime and data, prepaid electricity, and betting vouchers took place in November last year. Fieldwork took place across all nine provinces, in both urban and peri-urban areas.

• Electrum is the next-generation payments software company, powering payments for banks and retailers.