ECommerce in Mauritius is limited, but increasing in popularity as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, which caused a nearly two-month confinement in 2020 and in 2021. Per the 2021 Mauritius Statista Report, total digital revenues accounted for $135.1 million in 2020, with eCommerce generating the highest digital revenues in 2020, with $103 million and a share of 76.4 percent. The eServices market generated revenues of $4.7 million in 2020, while in the same year, the eTravel and digital media markets generated revenues of $10 million and $17.2 million respectively.   Despite a relatively high internet penetration rate of 62 percent in 2020, and a global ranking of 87th in internet penetration, the speed and bandwidth required for modern eCommerce transactions are lacking in some of the more remote areas.  To address this limitation, the country has upgraded to fiber-broadband with speeds between 10MB and 30MB.  There are a number of companies that invested in eCommerce platforms for services such as finding tourism deals or searching for gardeners or housekeepers.  Examples include marideal.mu, priceguru.mu, and mychauffeur.mu.  While in the past many Mauritians used websites more for gathering information than for purchasing, this has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic as companies switched to online platforms to sell their products.  Many smaller Mauritian businesses, however, still prefer to use Facebook to reach their target markets.

Banking is sophisticated and, while cash payments remain the norm, payment by debit/credit card is popular, gradually replacing cash payment in malls, supermarkets, and restaurants.  Internet banking and mobile banking applications are also increasingly used by consumers.  According to Bank of Mauritius statistics, the value of internet banking transactions increased from Rs 678 million (approximately $15.4 million) to Rs 695 million (approximately $15.8 million) between March 2021 and March 2022.  Major banks in Mauritius have been investing heavily in mobile banking since 2011. The number of mobile banking transactions increased 62 percent between March 2021 and March 2022.

The key eCommerce legislation in Mauritius is the 2000 Electronic Transactions Act, which provides for the recognition of electronic signatures. Other important laws include the 2017 Data Protection Act, and the 2003 Cyber Crime and Computer Misuse Act.

The Mauritian eCommerce market’s largest segment in 2020 was fashion, with a market volume of $48.6 million, followed by electronics and media ($27.4 million), food and personal care ($14.3 million), furniture and appliances ($7.3 million), and toys, hobby and DIY ($5.5 million) The 2021 Mauritius Statista report forecasts that eCommerce revenues will have a positive annual average growth of 16.5 percent by 2025, and that total FinTech transaction value will grow by 24.2 percent by 2025.  In 2020, the transaction value in the FinTech market amounted to $459.7 million, and the largest segment was the digital payments segment, with a volume of $395 million.