Most Kenyan online shops start as a WhatsApp status: photos, a price, "DM to order". That works until orders grow — then you lose sales to slow replies, lost messages and payment mix-ups. Here is how to go from there to a shop that takes orders and M-Pesa by itself.
1. Decide what you sell — and to whom
Start narrow. "Ankara dresses for office wear" sells better than "fashion". Your first customers are people who already follow you; build the shop around what they already buy from you.
2. Decide how customers pay
Your main choice is a Buy Goods till, Pochi la Biashara or a PayBill:
- Pochi needs no paperwork and costs you nothing to receive — good to start.
- A till is free for your customers, and since August 2026 free for you too on sales up to KSh 500.
Compare them in till vs Pochi vs PayBill, and see the exact charges in the M-Pesa charges calculator. Need a till? Here is how to apply.
3. Photos and prices that sell
- Photos: daylight from a window, a plain background, the item filling the frame, and one photo of it in use. A phone is enough.
- Prices: show them. "DM for price" loses buyers who will not ask.
- Words: size, colour, material, and what is included — the questions you answer most in DMs.
4. Delivery
Decide before the first order: pickup, your own rider, or a parcel network such as Pickup Mtaani, where customers collect from an agent near them. State delivery cost and time on the shop, so it is not a surprise at checkout.
5. Get the shop link out
- Your WhatsApp status and WhatsApp Business profile.
- Your TikTok and Instagram bio — TikTok Shop is not open in Kenya, so a bio link is how TikTok sells for you (details).
- Every reply to "how much?": send the product link, not a price.
6. Keep it legal and clean
Get a KRA PIN, and if business customers buy from you, be ready to issue eTIMS invoices — it is free and works on your phone (guide).
Doing it with Duka
A Duka shop is free to start and live in minutes: your products with photos and prices, a shop link for WhatsApp, TikTok and Instagram, M-PESA at checkout, and every order and payment in one dashboard.