One of South Africa’s first daily deals platform, OneDayOnly is celebrating 15 years of offering local consumers discount deals and savings, with nearly 5,500 days of different deals offered.
Laurian Venter, director at OneDayOnly. Image supplied
The idea for the business was sparked when founders Chris Oberhofer and Maurits Vermeulen found themselves looking for a new project and took inspiration from a European e-commerce website in 2010.
This prompted them to embark on an Amazon-esque startup journey that ended up building and launching one of the country’s very first website where customers could get their hands on well-known brands at discounted prices for a limited time.
Fast forward to 2025, OneDayOnly has clocked almost 625,000 deals, and the site has solidified its status as a significant player in the local e-commerce landscape.
As with most startup success stories, it started in a garage.
It all started in a garage with an idea, no funding, and a Weber braai as the very first deal. From those beginnings, OneDayOnly now processes between 5,000 and 10,000 orders a day, depending on the season.
The business employs more than 300 people across its Cape Town and Johannesburg offices, with operations supported by expanded warehouse facilities to meet consumer demand.
Steady growth and innovation
The company’s journey has been marked with steady growth and innovation. As deal volumes grew, so did the team, and by 2016 they had structured departments and increased deliveries, as the site hosted 40 deals a day.
OneDayOnly has since become a household name as sales volumes have grown to over 350 deals a day; the same volume processed in an entire month during its startup phase.
Strong partnerships with local and international brands cemented its reputation as South Africa’s go-to daily deals platform.
“Our growth has always gone hand in hand with building strong relationships with our brand partners,” says Laurian Venter, director at OneDayOnly, who heads up sales for the brand.
“It’s these collaborations that allow us to keep bringing South Africans products they love at prices that excite them, every single day.”
One opportunity, multiple successes
Agility and customer insight have been at the heart of OneDayOnly’s success. By closely tracking what South Africans want, and when they want it, the platform has been able to anticipate demand and adapt its offering accordingly.
From everyday lifestyle products to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such as micro-apartments or R19 flights, OneDayOnly has shown that understanding consumer behaviour is key to staying ahead in e-commerce.
“Understanding what people want to buy, and when they want it, is one of the strengths of our business. The thrill of what we do is waking up every day to new opportunities and new challenges that push us to be better”, says Venter.
A local success story unlocking economic value
As of 2025, there are said to be 11.7 million South Africans registered on e-commerce and online retail platforms, with the number expected to grow to 21.52 million in less than five years.
The South African e-commerce market – a small portion of the total retail market – has seen immense growth in recent years with consumers flocking to platforms that offer value for money, convenience, and cost-effective savings.
In 2023, online retail sales were said to have make up R71bn – approximately 6% of total retail.
Fifteen years on, OneDayOnly’s story highlights how a small startup can grow into a recognised player in South Africa’s e-commerce landscape by responding to shifting consumer needs and serves as a key driver of digital transformation and economic prosperity.
