How to take your shop online in Kenya

1. Start with what already sells

Do not put your whole shop online on day one. Pick the 20 to 50 products people ask for most: your best sellers, the items you always have in stock, and the ones that photograph well. You can add the rest later.

2. Open your store and choose its address

Your store needs an address people can remember and type, such as yourshop.kaydro.com. Use your shop's name, short and without spaces. This is the link you will share everywhere, so check the spelling before you print it anywhere.

3. Add your products properly

• A clear photo on a plain background, taken in daylight. A phone camera is enough.
• The name customers use, not your supplier's code: "Samsung A15 128GB, black", not "SM-A155F".
• The real price. If the price changes often, update it the same day.
• One or two lines on what matters: size, colour, original or not, warranty.
• Stock linked to the shop, so an item that sells out at the counter stops showing online.

4. Set delivery and pickup

Decide where you deliver and what it costs. Most shops in Nairobi set a few delivery zones, for example the CBD, Eastleigh, Westlands and the estates further out, each with its own fee. You can offer free delivery above an amount, and let customers collect from the shop.

5. Say how customers can pay

List the ways you accept payment, exactly as you would tell a customer at the counter, with the account details they need. Keep it short and clear: a customer who is unsure how to pay will not finish the order.

6. Share your link where your customers already are

• Your WhatsApp status and your customer groups, with a photo of a product and the link.
• The bio of your Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages.
• Your shop sign, business cards and the bags you pack orders in.
• A message to your regular customers: "You can now order from us online."

7. Answer every order quickly

An online order is a customer waiting. When an order comes in, the owner and managers are alerted on screen and by email. Confirm it, pack it and deliver it. Once confirmed, it becomes a sale in your books and the stock goes down, so the counter and the online store never sell the same last item twice.

8. Learn what works, then grow

After a few weeks, look at which products sell online and which are only viewed. Improve the photos and descriptions of the ones that are viewed but not bought, and add more of what sells.