How Ryan Bacher Accidentally Built South Africa’s E-Commerce Giant

In the late 1990s, e-commerce was still in its infancy in South Africa. But for Ryan Bacher, what started as an experimental project turned into a multi-million-rand business. NetFlorist, one of the country’s longest-standing online stores, was born from an unexpected opportunity—and a bit of luck.

A Simple Idea That Changed Everything

Ryan Bacher co-founded NetFlorist with Lawrence Brick and Jonathan Hackner on Valentine’s Day in 1999. Their initial goal wasn’t to revolutionize e-commerce in South Africa; they were simply tasked with creating an online platform for Makro, the retail giant owned by Massmart.

“We said to them: We’ll build an e-commerce site. We don’t care what it is. We’ll build it and run it for a few weeks just to understand how this thing works, and then we’ll build Makro.co.za,” Bacher recalled in a 2015 Startup Grind event in Johannesburg.

However, Massmart’s leadership was skeptical about their capabilities in e-commerce. Since Bacher and his team primarily ran an Internet service provider (ISP), they lacked direct experience in online retail. Despite this, they pressed on, deciding to test the waters with a simple e-commerce concept: selling flowers online.

From Experiment to Business Success

The team partnered with a florist in Sandton, Johannesburg, who agreed to fulfill online flower orders. With their existing database of email contacts, they launched a Valentine’s Day email marketing campaign. The response was overwhelming.

“Something amazing happened. We got R30,000 worth of business from emails we sent out on Valentine’s Day—more than your average florist did in a month,” said Bacher.

This unexpected success led them to pivot away from building Makro’s e-commerce site. Instead, they went all in on NetFlorist, transforming it into a dedicated online flower and gifting service.

The Evolution of NetFlorist

Over the years, NetFlorist expanded beyond flowers, offering a wide range of gifts, bakery products, confectionery, and alcohol. It has become one of South Africa’s most recognizable online brands.

Under Bacher’s leadership, the company refined its logistics, ensuring reliable and timely delivery. He emphasized that e-commerce success isn’t just about technology—it’s about mastering retail and supply chain management.

“Retail is about the product that you sell. The technology is not all that important. Selling the product online is only one part of the journey. The logistics of delivery are difficult, and you can very easily become over-reliant on suppliers,” Bacher explained.

Staying Ahead in the E-Commerce Space

Today, NetFlorist sources 70% of its flowers from within South Africa and 30% from the rest of Africa. The company has also built its own warehouses to streamline distribution, a move that many other e-commerce retailers have since adopted.

Bacher, who has served as NetFlorist’s managing director since its inception, recently relocated to Melbourne, Australia. Despite the move, he remains actively involved in the company’s operations while also contributing to the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation South Africa chapter.

A Legacy of Innovation

NetFlorist’s success story is a testament to the power of adaptability and seizing unexpected opportunities. What started as a test project became one of South Africa’s leading e-commerce brands, proving that sometimes, the best businesses are built by accident.

As online shopping continues to evolve, NetFlorist remains a dominant force, consistently innovating to meet customer needs. Ryan Bacher’s journey from a law graduate to an accidental e-commerce pioneer highlights the endless possibilities in South Africa’s growing digital economy.

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com