# What Is Conversational Commerce? A Guide for Kenyan Businesses > Conversational commerce is selling through conversations in messaging channels such as WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger and website live chat, where customers ask questions, see products, order and get updates in the chat. In Kenya it usually combines WhatsApp chats with M-Pesa payment, and it works best with a catalog, fast replies, automation and a shared team inbox. Source: https://chat.or.ke/blog/what-is-conversational-commerce Published: 2026-10-20 | Updated: 2026-10-20 | Publisher: chat.or.ke Conversational commerce is the practice of selling to customers through two-way conversations in messaging channels, rather than only through shops, websites or phone calls. The customer asks, the business answers, products are shared, and the order is agreed, all inside a chat. If you run a business in Kenya, you are probably already doing it, perhaps without the name. This explainer covers what conversational commerce is, how it works step by step, and what a business needs to do it well. ## Key takeaways - Conversational commerce means the whole buying journey can happen in a chat: questions, product discovery, ordering, payment and updates. - In Kenya, WhatsApp is the main channel, with Instagram, Facebook and website chat close behind, and M-Pesa as the usual payment method. - It works because buyers can ask before they pay, which builds trust. - Doing it at scale needs a shared inbox, a product catalog, automation and a CRM, not one phone. - Messaging rules matter: opt-in for promotions and the 24-hour reply window on WhatsApp. ## Where does the term conversational commerce come from? The term was popularised by Chris Messina, then at Uber, in a 2015 essay describing how messaging apps would become places to buy, not just to chat. The idea has since grown with chat apps adding catalogs, buttons and business accounts. In Kenya, the practice arrived before the label. Market traders, boutiques and food vendors were selling on WhatsApp long before most businesses had websites. ## How does conversational commerce work? It follows the same stages as any sale, but each happens in a chat. Here is the typical journey. | Stage | What happens in the chat | Tools that help | |---|---|---| | Discovery | Customer taps a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, an Instagram post or a website chat button | Ads, social links, live chat | | Questions | "Do you have it in size 42?" "Do you deliver to Kitengela?" | Fast replies, AI assistant, saved replies | | Product browsing | Business shares products with photos and prices | Product catalog in WhatsApp | | Ordering | Customer confirms items, address and delivery time | Catalog orders, buttons and lists | | Payment | Business sends M-Pesa Till or Paybill details | Payment message, order reference | | Updates | Confirmation, dispatch and delivery messages | Utility templates, order status | | Repeat sales | New stock or offers to customers who opted in | Broadcasts, CRM tags | ## What does conversational commerce look like in practice? Here is a worked example of a full sale. A Nairobi boutique runs an Instagram ad for new ankara dresses with a "Send message" button that opens WhatsApp. 1. **Thursday, 8:40pm.** Wanjiru taps the ad and sends "Hi, I'd like the ankara dress prices." An automated greeting replies at once with buttons: "See dresses", "Delivery areas", "Talk to us". 2. **8:41pm.** She taps "See dresses" and receives a product list from the shop's catalog, each with a photo, price and sizes. 3. **8:45pm.** She asks whether the blue one runs small. The AI assistant, trained on the shop's sizing notes, answers that it fits true to size and offers to connect her to staff. 4. **Friday, 9:10am.** An attendant picks up the chat in the shared inbox, sees the full history, confirms size 12 and delivery to Westlands, and sends the total with the Paybill and an order number. 5. **9:25am.** Wanjiru pays and sends the M-Pesa confirmation. The attendant checks the business statement, marks the order paid and confirms dispatch. 6. **Three weeks later.** Wanjiru had agreed to hear about new arrivals, so she receives a template message about the next collection, tagged to her interests. No website visit, no phone call, and every step is recorded on one customer profile. ## Why does conversational commerce work so well in Kenya? It fits how Kenyans already buy. People like to ask questions, negotiate delivery and check that a seller is genuine before sending money. A chat makes that easy and keeps a written record both sides can refer to. It also suits mobile-first customers. WhatsApp works well on modest smartphones and data bundles, and M-Pesa makes paying from the same phone simple. For the seller, the customer's phone number arrives with the first message, so follow-up is easy. ## What are the challenges of conversational commerce? The biggest challenge is scale. One phone works for ten chats a day; it breaks at a hundred. Staff reply to the same customer twice, leads are forgotten, and the business owner's personal phone becomes the company's sales system. Other challenges: - **Speed:** customers expect replies in minutes, including evenings and weekends. - **Consistency:** different staff quote different prices or delivery fees. - **Records:** orders and payments scattered across phones are hard to reconcile. - **Rules:** WhatsApp limits free-form messages to 24 hours after the customer's last message and requires opt-in and approved templates for promotions. ## What tools do you need for conversational commerce? You need tools that turn chat from a personal habit into a business process. The core set is a shared inbox, a catalog, automation and a CRM. chat.or.ke brings these together for Kenyan businesses: a [shared WhatsApp inbox](https://chat.or.ke/features/whatsapp-inbox) where your whole team answers from one number, a [catalog with in-chat ordering](https://chat.or.ke/features/catalog-orders), an AI assistant that replies in English and Kiswahili from your own business information, and [Facebook and Instagram messages](https://chat.or.ke/features/facebook-instagram) in the same inbox. Every chat becomes a contact you can follow up, and payment stays with your existing M-Pesa Till or Paybill. Interactive messages, such as buttons and lists, make chats faster to navigate. Our explainer on [interactive WhatsApp messages](https://chat.or.ke/blog/interactive-whatsapp-messages-explained) shows how they work. ## Is conversational commerce right for every business? No. It suits businesses where customers have questions before buying, or where the product varies: fashion, furniture, electronics, food, property, travel, events and services. It suits less well very low-cost items bought without thought, where a self-service website or till is faster. Many businesses combine the two, using a website for discovery and chat for closing. If you are weighing that choice, read [WhatsApp catalog vs an online store](https://chat.or.ke/blog/whatsapp-catalog-vs-online-store). If you are ready to start, our playbook on [how to sell on WhatsApp in Kenya](https://chat.or.ke/blog/how-to-sell-on-whatsapp-kenya) walks through it step by step. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is conversational commerce in simple terms? It is selling through chat. Customers message a business on apps like WhatsApp or Instagram, ask questions, see products, place orders and get updates in the conversation instead of on a website or in a shop. ### What is an example of conversational commerce? A customer taps a Facebook ad, asks a shop on WhatsApp about sizes, receives product photos from the shop's catalog, confirms an order, pays by M-Pesa and gets a delivery update, all in the same chat. ### Is conversational commerce the same as a chatbot? No. Chatbots are one tool used in conversational commerce, often for greetings and common questions. Many sales still need a person, and the best setups combine automation with a team that takes over when needed. ### Which channels are used for conversational commerce in Kenya? WhatsApp is the main one, followed by Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger and live chat on websites. SMS is also used for updates and reminders, especially for customers without smartphones. ### Do I need a website for conversational commerce? No. Many Kenyan businesses sell entirely through WhatsApp and social media. A website still helps with Google search and with verifying your business with Meta for the WhatsApp Business API.