New courier data from inDrive suggests South Africans are using on-demand delivery services for a far wider range of everyday needs than one might expect.
An analysis of roughly 5,000 inDrive.Courier orders placed in South Africa during the first half of 2026 found that cake was the single most-requested food item carried by couriers. It appeared in 9.1% of all Food & Drink orders, a higher share than in any of the other eight countries included in the analysis.
In fact, Food & Drink remains the biggest overall category in South Africa, accounting for 37.4% of classified orders. “Cake might seem like an unusual item to stand out in courier data, but it shows how people are using these services for very ordinary, personal needs,” says Ashif Black, country representative at inDrive South Africa.
“People might need a cake delivered for a celebration, a spare part collected for a car or a set of keys dropped off to someone who needs them. The range of items tells an interesting story about the role on-demand couriers are starting to play in people’s daily lives.”
From clothes to car parts
Beyond food, inDrive’s internal courier data reveals that Clothing & Shoes is the next biggest category at 17.1%. Perhaps the more surprising finding is that Auto, Tools & Hardware follows closely behind, accounting for 13.3% of classified orders. This is also a distinctly South African trend, with South Africa recording the highest share of Auto, Tools & Hardware deliveries of all eight countries included in the analysis. Electronics, meanwhile, accounted for just 6.7% of local orders.
The smaller categories reveal another side of how people are using couriers. Cosmetics, Beauty & Eyewear, keys and documents and papers all feature among items being moved from one place to another, suggesting that the service is being used as much for life’s practical errands as it is for more conventional deliveries.
“What stands out is how specific some of these needs are,” says Black. “If you’ve left your keys somewhere, need a document to reach someone across town or have a part that needs to get to a workshop, the value of a courier is really about solving that immediate problem without having to make the journey yourself.”
Trustworthy courier services
Trust is also an important consideration when South Africans hand their goods over for delivery. In fact, a 2025 report found that 85% of South African online shoppers would not buy from a retailer if they did not trust the delivery provider, highlighting the role that confidence in the delivery process can play when goods change hands.
“Having peace of mind that a courier item will safely reach the intended destination is important to South Africans using inDrive.Courier, which is why the service includes features designed to help users keep track of their items throughout the delivery,” says Black.
He adds that couriers also undergo identity verification during registration, while users can review ratings and trip history before choosing a courier and follow their delivery in real time through live tracking, where a tracking link can also be shared with the recipient.
For added certainty at drop-off, senders can also opt for proof of delivery using a one-time password provided to the recipient, which must be entered before the courier can mark the delivery as complete.
“The latest data ultimately paints a varied picture of South African courier habits. Whether its cake, car parts and clothes or electronics, keys and documents moving between homes and businesses, we can agree that South Africans are increasingly using on-demand courier services to make light work of their everyday errands and tasks, and it’s nice to know people are able to get things done or even satisfy a sweet tooth quicker and more easily than ever before,” concludes Black.
inDrive. Courier is available across South Africa through the inDrive app.
