WATCH | Small portion shopping a game-changer in Spaza trading

Imagine going into a shop to buy a cup of rice or a handful of washing powder, just enough for you to have a single meal and a clean shirt.

Stop imagining it because this is a reality for many consumers in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, where eight spazas have been having Smartfill machines for the past few years. The machines work the same way as vending machines, and the only difference is that you bring your container for the product you buy.

The concept by DY|DX, a specialist consultancy firm focused on sustainable innovation and behaviour change, Smartfill machines currently sell rice, dish-washing liquid, washing powder, peanuts, cooking oil and maize meal.

These are sold at a reduced price compared to the prepackaged items on the shelves. They are also safe to consume as they come sealed with an RIFD tag that tracks the products’ information from warehouses to the spaza shops to monitor expiry dates.

“The food items, in particular, are never touched by hands by the spaza shop owner. The customer just selects what they want and how much of it they want and then put a bag or container to collect it. It’s simple,” Smartfill CEO Nevo Hadas told Sowetan last week.

The concept is geared more to people who can only afford to buy in small portions.

In SA, the concept was started in Tembisa about five years ago and now eight spaza shops have six machines, each making an average of 5,000 sales monthly.

Hadas said their target is 10,000 sales and their future plans include extending the concept throughout the country.

“The project could have been piloted anywhere but Tembisa was sort of our test bed. It works for us because it had a population of just over 750,000 and it has diverse economies,” said Hadas.

In terms of how the value chain works, Hadas and his team negotiate deals with fast-moving consumer goods manufacturers like Tiger Brands and Unilever and then sell the products at wholesale price to spaza shop owners who then sell it in small affordable batches to their customers though Smartfill machines.

Smartfill determine prices.

It’s a win for everybody – in particular the consumer who gets to choose the portions that suits them according to their budget and living situation.

“At times, single people who live by themselves find it hard to shop as most of the pre-packaged goods like a loaf of bread doesn’t accommodate them and often food gets spoilt.

“Smartfill’s refill price points allow households to buy only what they need, when they need it. By lowering the upfront cost of packaged goods, the format reduces the financial risk of trial and supports mid-month purchasing patterns,” said Hadas.

Smartfill recently released a survey it did on 57 customers between October 2025 and February 2026 which showed that:

• 40% of shoppers switched from competing brands;
• 38% chose to purchase their usual brand in refill format instead of packaged; and
• 22% are repeat Smartfill customers.

Their Southern Oil’s B-Well Omega 3 cooking oil has also shown growth in the market.

“Without any shelf presence in spaza stores, B-Well has grown from 0% to 19% market share through Smartfill dispensers alone. Within the under-2-litre segment, it holds 39% share.

“The refill format is not just adding distribution, it is creating new access and visibility for the brand,” said Hadas.