Soon after the festive season drew to a close, and the nation's annual shopping binge came to an end, retailers around the country will have scrutinised their ecommerce services and questioned whether they're sitting with a bargain or a dud. The answer from most of them will be far from cheery.

Retail chains and technology-savvy investors are pouring millions of rands into ecommerce services. Returns on these investments are, at best, modest and many local ecommerce businesses are leaking money.