Quick answer
To sell on WhatsApp in Kenya, use a WhatsApp Business number in your business's name, put your products in a catalog with photos and prices, bring customers in with Click-to-WhatsApp ads and your social pages, reply fast, take payment by M-Pesa Till or Paybill, confirm and deliver the order, then follow up with customers who agreed to hear from you.
Key takeaways
- Sell from a WhatsApp Business number in your business's name, not a personal line.
- A catalog with clear photos and prices answers half the questions before they are asked.
- Speed sells: an instant greeting and a shared team inbox stop leads going cold.
- Take payment through an M-Pesa Till or Paybill in the business name, and confirm every order in writing.
- Only send promotions to customers who agreed to receive them, using approved templates.
Kenyans already shop on WhatsApp. They ask the boutique for sizes, send the butcher their order, and confirm the cake design with a photo. The businesses that do well treat that chat as a proper sales channel, with a catalog, a process and follow-up, rather than a personal phone in someone's handbag.
This playbook is for shop owners, online sellers and managers who want to sell more through WhatsApp. It goes from setting up the number to getting repeat orders.
Before you start
You will need a few things in place.
- A dedicated phone number for the business, ideally not one staff use for personal chats.
- Product photos and prices for your best sellers. Phone photos in good light are fine.
- A payment method: an M-Pesa Till or Paybill registered to the business.
- Delivery options and fees: areas you cover, costs and timelines.
- For the WhatsApp Business API (needed for a team inbox, automation and broadcasts): business registration certificate, KRA PIN, a recent utility bill or bank statement, a domain and a business email address for Meta business verification.
Step 1: Choose the right WhatsApp setup
Start with the free WhatsApp Business app if one person handles all chats on one phone. Move to the WhatsApp Business API when several people need to reply from the same number, you want automated replies, or you plan to send broadcasts.
The API is paid per message and usually comes through a provider. chat.or.ke is a Meta Tech Provider, so it connects your number for you, with no Meta tokens or webhooks to configure. Our comparison of the WhatsApp Business app vs API explains the trade-offs in detail.
Step 2: Set up your business profile
Your profile is your shop front. Add your business name, logo, a short description of what you sell, your location or delivery area, opening hours and a website or Instagram link.
Use a name customers recognise from your Instagram, signage or receipts. A Nairobi boutique called "Amani Styles" on Instagram should not appear as "AS Ventures 2" on WhatsApp.
Step 3: Build your product catalog
Put your products into a catalog so customers browse instead of waiting for you to send twenty photos. Each product needs a clear photo, a name, a price and the key detail customers ask about, such as size, material or what is included.
In chat.or.ke, you add products with photos, prices and categories, import them in bulk, or let the AI pull them from your website for review. Your team shares single products or lists in the chat, and customers order without leaving WhatsApp. See Catalog & Orders. If you are unsure whether to build a website as well, read WhatsApp catalog vs an online store.
Step 4: Bring customers to your WhatsApp
People need a way to reach you. Put your WhatsApp link everywhere your customers already look.
- Your Instagram and Facebook bio, posts and Stories.
- A WhatsApp button or live chat on your website.
- Your shop counter, receipts, delivery bags and packaging.
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram, which open a chat with one tap. Our guide on how to run Click-to-WhatsApp ads covers the setup.
When a customer messages you from one of these ads and you reply within 24 hours, Meta opens a free entry point window in which it does not charge for your messages. On chat.or.ke, messages in that window cost KES 0.30 each.
Step 5: Reply fast and consistently
The first reply often decides the sale. Customers who message three shops tend to buy from whoever answers first with a clear price.
- Greet instantly. An automated welcome with buttons such as "See products", "Delivery" and "Talk to us" means nobody waits.
- Share the workload. A shared WhatsApp inbox lets several attendants answer from one number, with chats assigned so two people never reply to the same customer.
- Use saved replies for prices, delivery fees and payment details.
- Answer after hours. An AI assistant trained on your products and policies can answer "Do you deliver to Ruiru?" at 10pm, and hand over to staff in the morning.
Step 6: Take payment by M-Pesa
Most Kenyan WhatsApp sales are paid by M-Pesa. Send a clear payment message: the amount, your Till or Paybill, the account number if using a Paybill, and what happens next.
For example: "Your total is KES 4,700 including delivery to South B. Pay to our Paybill with account number ORD-2051, then send the M-Pesa message here." A Paybill with an order number makes it easy to match payments when orders pile up. Our guide on accepting M-Pesa payments on WhatsApp compares Till, Paybill, STK Push and pay on delivery.
chat.or.ke does not collect payments on your behalf. You agree payment in the chat and update the order status in your dashboard.
Step 7: Confirm, deliver and update the customer
Confirm every order in writing: items, total, delivery address, delivery time and payment received. Then keep the customer informed. A message when the rider leaves and another on delivery saves you a dozen "where is my order?" chats.
Outside the 24-hour window after the customer's last message, updates need an approved template. Order updates and receipts usually fall under utility templates, which on chat.or.ke cost KES 0.90 per message.
Step 8: Follow up and win repeat sales
Repeat customers are cheaper to sell to than new ones, and WhatsApp keeps them one message away. Ask customers whether they would like to hear about new stock and offers, and record their agreement.
Then use WhatsApp broadcasts to send approved templates to opted-in contacts by tag or segment: "new arrivals in size 12", "customers in Mombasa", "bought school shoes last January". Contacts who opt out are filtered automatically. Promotions cost KES 4.50 per message on chat.or.ke, so target carefully rather than messaging everyone. Our guide to building a WhatsApp opt-in list covers consent properly.
What rules apply to selling on WhatsApp?
Two sets of rules matter: WhatsApp's policies and Kenyan law. WhatsApp's Commerce Policy lists goods you may not sell on WhatsApp, such as weapons, drugs and certain regulated products, and its Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in before you message customers.
Kenya's Data Protection Act, 2019, requires consent for direct marketing and an easy way to opt out. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner publishes guidance. In practice: ask before adding anyone to promotions, honour "STOP" at once, and keep customer data on business systems rather than staff phones.
Published 20 October 2026 Updated 20 October 2026 Plain-text version
