There is a quiet optimism in buying something designed to make life easier - the belief that an air fryer will fix a chaotic dinner, or a robot vacuum will finally reclaim your weekends.
Today, convenience isn't just a perk; it's a multi-billion rand consumer movement, and South Africans are buying into the promise of a simpler life like never before.
Convenience has become a consumer category of its own, and South Africans appear to be embracing it enthusiastically.
Research from consumer insights company WhyFive found that almost 90% of middle-class South African households surveyed owned an air fryer. The survey covered more than 33 000 adults in households earning at least R10 000 a month.
It’s a remarkable number for an appliance that, not too long ago, was largely unknown.
The kitchen gets complicated
The air fryer is a good example of our desire to make life easier.
It cooks quickly, is relatively simple to use and can turn leftovers into something that hasn’t been nuked by a microwave oven, but buying one can also begin a cycle of optimisation.
You find accessories for it, special trays, racks, silicone containers, recipe books and social media videos explaining how to cook everything from steak to cheesecake in a machine originally purchased because using the oven seemed like too much effort.
I do, however, draw the line at lamb chops. As a true-blue South African, those tasty pieces of meat need a braai, not hot air.
It’s the same with coffee machines.
A decent instant coffee or a drip machine is no longer good enough. We have machines that grind, blend and froth milk produced by something that looks like it came from the space race.
The coffee may be excellent, but spending several minutes cleaning and maintaining a machine designed to save you the two minutes it takes to make coffee feels like the triumph of modern convenience over logic.
The convenience paradox
The same applies to smartwatches.
What was once a simple and elegant timepiece now promises to simplify our lives by putting messages, calls, weather, calendars, navigation and fitness information on our wrists. They introduce another stream of notifications, updates, charging routines and reminders that we need to move more.
Robot vacuums are perhaps the ultimate expression of the idea.
The technology is becoming increasingly mainstream. A 2026 survey by Reviews.org found that 24% of Americans use a robot vacuum or robot mop, while consumer research company NIQ says 95% of robot vacuum cleaners sold in its tracked small-appliance category are smart versions with features such as remote control and automatic scheduling.
They are available locally too.
Ranging from a fairly basic one starting at R3 500 for a bump-and-go to R25 000 and more with hands-free base stations that empty dust, wash and dry mop pads, refill water tanks, and use AI camera obstacle avoidance.
So you can let the machine clean while you do something more important, or probably spend the time looking at it operating.
We are buying a better version of ourselves
It doesn’t mean that they are a waste of time or money because many genuinely make everyday tasks easier, especially when time is limited.
We may not be buying just the product but the possibility of a slightly better version of our lives.
The meal-prep gadget comes with the possibility that we will become the person who plans meals on Sunday, the smartwatch means we may become organised, and the expensive coffee machine promises calm, sophisticated mornings rather than grabbing coffee on the way out.
South Africa's appliance market is clearly responding to the demand. Euromonitor identifies robotic vacuum cleaners and air fryers among the fastest-growing appliance categories, with convenience, smart technology and energy efficiency helping drive consumer demand.
So perhaps the next time we see a gadget promising to make our lives easier, we should ask whether it is a solution to a problem we didn’t have.
willem.vdputte@nationalmg.co.za