Across West Africa, a large share of purchases already happens by message. You don't need a big budget to sell online: WhatsApp Business and mobile money let you start today. Here's the method, step by step.
In this article
- Switch to WhatsApp Business
- Build a catalogue that sells
- Save time with quick replies
- Get paid by mobile money safely
- Organise delivery
- When to move to a real online store
1. Switch to WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp Business is a free app, separate from regular WhatsApp, designed for companies. It shows a business profile: company name, category, description, address, opening hours and website. If you keep your current number, your chats can be transferred during setup. Tip: use a number dedicated to the business that you will keep for a long time.
2. Build a catalogue that sells
The WhatsApp Business catalogue shows your products with photo, price and description. Customers browse it without leaving the chat.
- Photos: plain background, good light (near a window), product centred, several angles.
- Clear names: "Wax print dress, size M, blue" rather than "Item 12".
- Show the price: it saves dozens of "how much?" messages.
- Keep it current: remove sold-out products straight away.
3. Save time with quick replies
WhatsApp Business offers greeting messages, away messages and quick replies (a shortcut like "/delivery" inserts a prepared text). Prepare answers to the most frequent questions: delivery fees, timelines, payment methods, returns. Use labels ("new customer", "paid", "to deliver") so no sale slips through.
Finally, share your direct link wa.me/yournumber on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, your website and business cards.
4. Get paid by mobile money safely
Orange Money, MTN MoMo and other mobile money services have become an everyday payment method. A few simple rules prevent most problems:
- Never trust a screenshot sent by the customer: check the payment in your own account or via the operator's official SMS.
- Record the transaction reference for each order.
- Only ship after payment is confirmed, or offer cash on delivery to new customers.
- Beware of customers who claim they "sent too much" and ask you to refund the difference: it's a common scam.
Tip: keep a simple table (date, customer, product, amount, payment reference, delivery status). It's the foundation of your bookkeeping and the first step towards proper tracking software.
5. Organise delivery
Define zones (neighbourhoods, cities, international) with a price and timeline for each, and display them clearly. Work with one or two trusted couriers, ask for proof of delivery and send the customer a follow-up message. For diaspora customers, say whether you ship abroad or deliver to a relative locally.
6. When to move to a real online store
WhatsApp is enough to start. An online store becomes useful when:
- you spend your days answering the same questions;
- you have many products, sizes or colours;
- you want to be found on Google, not just by your contacts;
- you sell to the diaspora and want to accept bank cards;
- orders get lost in the flood of messages.
The good news: the two work together. An online store can send orders straight to WhatsApp, keeping the human touch your customers like.
In short
A complete WhatsApp Business profile, a polished catalogue, quick replies, payments checked in your own account and organised delivery: with these basics you can sell online without a website. When volume grows, an online store takes over. Need help setting up WhatsApp Business or building your store? Get a free quote.