Gauteng carries the largest share of South Africa's economy, and much of that trade happens between businesses. Financial and professional firms cluster in Sandton and Rosebank, corporate head offices and campuses sit along the Midrand corridor, and the East Rand around OR Tambo is dense with warehouses, distributors and manufacturers.
A procurement officer, an operations manager or a small-business owner looking for a supplier here usually has a shortlist within an hour. They look for three things: do you do exactly what they need, can you handle their volume or their region, and how fast can they get a price. A site that hides its services behind a generic slogan, or only offers a phone number, drops off that shortlist.
The other Joburg reality is that many buyers want to order again without talking to anyone. Trade customers who reorder the same stock every month would rather log in and repeat an order than send an email and wait for a pro forma.