Engagements

Staged, so you only pay for the evidence you need.

Each stage settles one question and ends with a written recommendation: proceed, adjust or stop. The Stage 1 fee is credited in full against Stage 2 within 60 days.

Stage 1 · Desk intelligence

Market Entry Briefing

"Is South Africa worth pursuing for us, and on what terms?"

You receive

Imports for your HS codes by origin and unit value
Visibility audit: distributors, stockists, trademarks, look-alike names
Barriers: duties, NRCS approvals, the B-BBEE partner gate
Segments ranked by fit and time to revenue
Three decisions on partner, segment and price, with a recommendation

Skip this stage if you already know who imports your category and at what price.

US$2,0007 business days · 30-minute walkthrough
Request a briefing

Stage 2 · Channel

Channel Verification

"Who really sells our category, and who could sell ours?"

You receive

Who imports your category into South Africa today
Trademark and brand-confusion check
Five distributor or buyer conversations
10-page findings note

Skip this stage if you need prices and buyer behaviour, not only the channel: go to the Reality Check.

US$5,6002 weeks
Discuss scope

Stage 2 · Field

Market Reality Check

"Should we enter, where first and at what price?"

You receive

12 structured B2B interviews
30–50 field observations by vetted Associates
Basket pricing, landed cost and margin stack
Go/no-go, segment and province sequence, 90-day plan
Readout with your team

Skip this stage if Stage 1 says South Africa is not worth pursuing yet.

US$17,6004–6 weeks
Discuss scope

Stage 3 · Partner

Reality Check + Distributor Intelligence

"Which distributor do we appoint?"

You receive

Everything in the Market Reality Check
Long list of 15–25 distributors
Vetted shortlist of 5–8: stock, credit, references, B-BBEE status
Introduction packs

Skip this stage if you plan to set up your own entity rather than appoint a distributor.

US$27,9008–10 weeks
Discuss scope

Verification framework

"Verified" always means one of five levels, and we state which.

LEVEL 1Digital

Company websites, catalogues, public listings.

LEVEL 2Commercial records

Trade data, CIPC and importer records, tenders.

LEVEL 3Channel

Confirmed directly by the distributor or reseller.

LEVEL 4Field

Observed or confirmed on the ground by an Associate.

LEVEL 5Confidence score

Our overall rating, with what would change it.

VERIFIED primary source or direct confirmation INDICATED credible secondary source, not yet confirmed HYPOTHESIS our judgement, stated as such, with a plan to test it

A team discussing findings around a table — Fig. 5 · Every briefing ends with a 30-minute walkthrough with your team. Illustrative image.

Why not just buy data?

Off-the-shelf country reports (typically US$4,000–5,000) describe a whole category. Trade-data platforms show shipments and declared values. Government trade desks open doors but give no go/no-go. Roadfly Corp starts from the same public data, then interprets and tests it for your product, and tells you what to do.

Terms, plainly

Invoicing: USD or EUR, by The Toasted Group of Companies (Pty) Ltd. 50% on confirmation, 50% on delivery. Fees exclude taxes and travel.
Credit: Stage 1 fee credited in full against Stage 2 confirmed within 60 days.
Confidentiality: Your NDA on request. Client names and findings are never disclosed or reused.
Independence: No commission on sales, no fees from distributors.
Capacity: We accept a limited number of briefings each month, so each is researched and written at principal level.
After entry: Market Watch: monthly monitoring of competitors, importers, prices and policy. Fee on request.

Not sure which stage fits? The 2-minute Market Fit Check will tell you.

Take the Fit Check