Ecommerce marketing in Kenya starts with being found when people search for the product, not your brand name.
On this page
You are competing with Jumia, big retailers, and the fact that many shoppers still just use WhatsApp and Instagram. The way through is to be findable for specific products, clear about price and delivery, and easy to talk to.
What people actually type
The most common commercial search pattern in the country. If your product pages cannot rank, you do not exist for it.
Delivery is part of the product, not an afterthought.
Trust in the payment method often decides the sale.
What usually goes wrong
- Copy pasted manufacturer descriptions. Every shop has the same text and none of them rank.
- Delivery cost only shown at checkout. This is the biggest cause of abandoned carts in Kenya.
- No M-Pesa, or M-Pesa that means sending a till number and a screenshot.
- Forced account creation. Guest checkout should always exist.
- No WhatsApp. Many Kenyan buyers want to ask one question before ordering.
The plan, in order
Fix the product data first
Original descriptions, right categories, compressed images, real alt text. This is the least glamorous and highest return work there is.
Write your category pages
Not just a grid of products. These are what rank for the broad searches.
Publish delivery and payment clearly
Zones, fees and timing, before the cart. M-Pesa working properly at checkout.
WhatsApp on every product
With the product name already in the message.
Then abandoned cart and follow up
Usually the highest return automation in any shop.
What online shop Kenya looks like when it is done properly
Here is one we built. Look at where the price sits, where the WhatsApp button sits, and how little you have to think about.
What it costs
A properly built shop starts around KSh 250,000 and rises with product count. Monthly work from KSh 48,000. Look at our four live shops on the work page to see how this is done.
Google research found that 76 out of 100 people who search on a phone for something nearby visit a business within a day. Source: Think with Google.
Websites for ecommerce: questions, answered
How much does a website for ecommerce cost in Kenya?
It depends on what you offer and how many pages you need. We use one all in model: month 1 to set up, month 2 on us, then a monthly fee.
Use the free price calculator for a real range in shillings in under 60 seconds.
How long until a website for ecommerce goes live?
You get a live link in 7 days. That is the start, not the finish. We keep adding pages for the searches your buyers use every week.
Why work with Growth Catalyst on websites for ecommerce?
Every project is personally managed by Patrick Maina. He has 8+ years in competitive markets like the US, UK, Canada and Australia, 876 projects and 452 five star reviews.
Do you start with Google Ads?
Not at first. Every number we show comes from organic search. We only run ads once your page already ranks and sells, because new pages pay more per click.
Want this mapped to your business?
Send a voice note. Say what you sell and who buys it. You will get a straight answer about where the opportunity is and what it costs.
