Shopstar
Shopstar is a South African SaaS e-commerce platform enabling small business owners, makers, and creators to build no-code online stores with integrated local payment gateways, shipping, and multi-channel selling across Google, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, monetising via subscriptions and transaction fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Shopstar does
Shopstar is a South African cloud-based SaaS e-commerce platform founded in 2014 and headquartered in Cape Town. The platform enables makers, creators, and small business owners to build, manage, and grow online stores without coding, using a no-code drag-and-drop store designer with ready-made themes, custom domains, and built-in blog functionality. The technology stack integrates eight South African payment gateways (SnapScan, Paystack, Ozow, Yoco, Payflex, HappyPay, Ayoba, and Peach Payments via Shopstar Pay) and shipping logistics provider Bob Go, with native multi-channel selling across Google Shopping, Instagram, Facebook Shop, and WhatsApp Business. The product suite includes the core Shopstar Platform, Shopstar Store Designer, Shopstar Pay (PCI-compliant payment processing via Peach Payments), Shopstar Marketplace (multi-vendor product resale), and Shopstar Go (simplified single-page selling).
The company monetises through a hybrid subscription-plus-transaction-fee model. Monthly subscriptions start at R110 with no long-term contracts and a 14-day free trial; transaction fees range from 0.5% to 1.7% of gross paid sales on a sliding volume-based scale, with Shopstar Pay processing routed through Peach Payments at 3.5% plus R1.50 per transaction. Distribution is entirely self-serve via shopstar.co.za and app.shopstar.co.za, targeting South African SMBs, side-hustle entrepreneurs, and the maker/creator economy. Go-to-market is product-led and community-led, supported by an active blog (30+ educational articles), "Stars of Shopstar" YouTube series, and a 100% South African customer success team operating via email, WhatsApp, and live chat. The customer base comprises thousands of small merchants across diverse verticals including fashion, homeware, skincare, ceramics, pet products, and crafts, with no disclosed enterprise contracts or concentration. Adjacent GTM services are offered through Shopstar Group affiliates Boost Marketing (paid advertising) and Harry (business support tools). The company is privately held, founder-led, bootstrapped with one disclosed Launch Africa investment in 2022, and operates exclusively in the South African market.
Shopstar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Shopstar
- Legal name
- Shopstar PTY LTD
- Website
- https://shopstar.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Shopstar is a South African SaaS e-commerce platform enabling small business owners, makers, and creators to build no-code online stores with integrated local payment gateways, shipping, and multi-channel selling across Google, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, monetising via subscriptions and transaction fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Shopstar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- E-commerce SaaS Platform
- akta.pro primary industry
- Omnichannel Commerce & Click-and-Collect Platforms (BPAMAGAL)
Keywords
Where Shopstar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
Shopstar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Fees: Monthly subscription fees for platform access. Subscriptions are month-to-month with no long-term contracts. Payment is required in advance, charged on the signup date and subsequently on the first day of each month. Plans start from R110 per month.
- Transaction Fees (Shopstar Pay): Variable transaction fees based on gross paid sales volume. Gross paid sales of R5-R50,000: 1.7%; R50,001-R500,000: 1.5%; R500,001-R1,000,000: 1.0%; R1,000,001+: 0.5%. These fees are charged after transactions occur and must be paid in full before account cancellation.
- Peach Payments Processing Fees: Shopstar Pay processes payments through Peach Payments. Peach Payments charges 3.5% of transaction value plus R1.50 once-off fee per transaction (excluding VAT). This is a pass-through cost to vendors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Entry-level plan starting from R110 per month |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Volume-based transaction fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Shopstar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shopstar provides a no-code, drag-and-drop e-commerce SaaS platform that enables South African makers, creators, and small businesses to build, manage, and grow online stores. The platform bundles store design, integrated payments (Shopstar Pay powered by Peach Payments, plus SnapScan, Paystack, Ozow, Yoco, Payflex, HappyPay, Ayoba), shipping integration (Bob Go), and multi-channel selling across Google, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
Product overview
Shopstar is a South African e-commerce platform designed for makers and creators, offering a unified product portfolio anchored by the core Shopstar Platform. The platform comprises the Shopstar Store Designer (a no-code drag-and-drop store builder), Shopstar Pay (a built-in payment gateway powered by Peach Payments), Shopstar Marketplace (for multi-vendor resale), and the Shopstar Blog (for SEO-driven content marketing). Supporting services include the Shopstar Customer Success Team (personal South African support via email, WhatsApp, and live chat), and Group add-on services such as Boost Marketing (paid advertising and professional services) and Harry (business support tools). All components are accessible from a single centralized dashboard.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Shopstar Go: A simplified single-page selling solution offered by Shopstar for sellers wanting a basic online presence.
- Shopstar Pay
Products and services
- Shopstar Platform A South African e-commerce SaaS platform enabling makers, creators, and small businesses to build, manage, and grow online stores with a no-code drag-and-drop designer, built-in payments and shipping, multi-channel social selling (Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), and a centralized dashboard for orders, inventory, and analytics.
- Shopstar Pay A proprietary payment processing service powered by Peach Payments, integrated directly into Shopstar stores. Supports debit/credit card payments and processes payments through a PCI-compliant gateway; card data is transmitted directly to Peach Payments and Shopstar does not store card details.
- Boost Marketing A paid marketing service offered by Shopstar Group, providing expert assistance with digital advertising, copywriting, graphic design, and other professional services to help merchants accelerate sales.
- Harry An additional service offered by Shopstar Group, available to Shopstar merchants for business support beyond the core e-commerce platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Rated 4.9 stars on Google across hundreds of reviews from South African makers.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Shopstar
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Shopstar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature7 records
Shopstar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Peach PaymentscorePeach Payments is the underlying payment processor for Shopstar Pay. The service enables vendors to accept card payments through a PCI-compliant gateway. Sensitive cardholder details are transmitted directly from the customer's browser to Peach Payments' systems — Shopstar staff and systems do not have access to card numbers or financial information. Peach Payments charges 3.5% + R1.50 per transaction.
- SnapScancoreSnapScan partnered with Shopstar to develop a payment gateway specifically for Shopstar stores. SnapScan offers multiple payment methods including QR code, Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club, and instant EFT. Settlement is every business day — next-business-day for Standard Bank customers, 1-3 days for other banks. Transaction fees are dynamic, starting at 2.95% (excl. VAT) and decreasing to 2.55% based on monthly turnover. Free to sign up with no monthly or settlement fees.
- PaystackcoreIntegrated payment gateway option available on Shopstar, enabling vendors to accept debit and credit card payments.
- OzowcoreIntegrated South African instant EFT payment gateway option on Shopstar, allowing customers to pay directly from their bank accounts.
- YococoreIntegrated payment gateway option on Shopstar, providing debit and credit card processing capabilities for South African merchants.
- PayflexcoreIntegrated buy-now-pay-later option on Shopstar, allowing customers to pay in instalments.
- HappyPaycoreIntegrated payment gateway option on Shopstar for South African merchants.
- Bob GocoreIntegrated shipping logistics partner on Shopstar, enabling vendors to manage shipments and delivery through the platform.
- AyobacoreIntegrated payment gateway option on Shopstar, supporting the Ayoba instant messaging and payments platform popular in South Africa.
- Boost MarketingminorShopstar Group company providing paid advertising and professional marketing services for Shopstar merchants. Available at marketwithboost.com.
- HarryminorShopstar Group company providing additional services for Shopstar merchants. Available at useharry.com.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Shopstar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Square Online (Weebly): Block-owned free online store builder integrated with Square payments, targeting SMBs and sole proprietors. Overlaps with Shopstar's maker/SMB segment and integrated-payments value proposition.
- Wix: Broad website-builder incumbent with an integrated Wix Stores e-commerce product for SMBs. Competes with Shopstar's no-code drag-and-drop designer approach but offers a much wider portfolio beyond commerce.
- Squarespace: Design-led website builder with native e-commerce functionality, popular with creators and small brands globally. Comparable to Shopstar's maker/creator positioning and visual no-code builder experience.
Direct peers
- Payhip: Simple SaaS platform that lets creators and small businesses sell digital and physical products online with no-code setup. Closely comparable 'simple all-in-one' GTM and SMB/creator target audience to Shopstar.
- WooCommerce: Open-source e-commerce platform built on WordPress widely used by SMBs globally including in South Africa. Competes with Shopstar for the same small-merchant and maker segment, but at a free / self-hosted price point.
- Shopify: Global SaaS e-commerce platform enabling SMBs and creators to build, manage and scale online stores with integrated payments and multi-channel selling. Direct head-to-head competitor to Shopstar, but at vastly larger scale and global reach.
- BigCommerce: Public SaaS e-commerce platform targeting SMB and mid-market merchants with multi-channel selling, payments and analytics. Closely comparable product architecture and GTM to Shopstar's platform.
- PrestaShop: Open-source e-commerce platform used by SMB merchants worldwide, with a marketplace of themes, modules and payment integrations. Comparable SaaS-like commerce enablement to Shopstar, though self-hosted.
- Ecwid: SaaS e-commerce platform that lets SMBs add an online store to any existing website and sell across social channels and marketplaces. Closely comparable multi-channel, SMB-focused model to Shopstar.
Regional players
- Takealot: South Africa's largest online retailer and marketplace, often the first destination South African shoppers search. Not a direct SaaS peer but the dominant regional e-commerce destination whose marketplace and logistics shape SMB merchants' choice of platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Shopstar social profiles
Digital presenceShopstar compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Shopstar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Shopstar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Shopstar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Shopstar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Shopstar
What does Shopstar do?
Shopstar provides a no-code, drag-and-drop e-commerce SaaS platform that enables South African makers, creators, and small businesses to build, manage, and grow online stores. The platform bundles store design, integrated payments (Shopstar Pay powered by Peach Payments, plus SnapScan, Paystack, Ozow, Yoco, Payflex, HappyPay, Ayoba), shipping integration (Bob Go), and multi-channel selling across Google, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
Is Shopstar a public or private company?
Shopstar is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Shopstar founded?
Shopstar was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Shopstar based?
Shopstar is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Shopstar make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Fees are the primary driver. The others are transaction Fees (Shopstar Pay) and peach Payments Processing Fees.
Who are Shopstar's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Square Online (Weebly), Wix and Squarespace. Direct peers are Payhip, WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, PrestaShop and Ecwid. Takealot is listed as a regional player.
Does Shopstar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Shopstar.
What industry is Shopstar in?
Shopstar's product category is E-commerce SaaS Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAL, Omnichannel Commerce & Click-and-Collect Platforms.