Why Shopify and why now
The global ecommerce market is projected to reach US$ 4.8 trillion in 2025. For businesses in Kenya and East Africa, this growth signals a major opportunity — especially as online shopping trends pick up across Africa, and local consumers increasingly use smartphones and mobile money to shop.
Using Shopify gives you a fast, reliable and scalable way to launch an online store — without deep technical expertise or the overhead of building a custom website from scratch. In 2025, Shopify powers about 26–27 per cent of all ecommerce stores worldwide.
For a business in Nairobi or across Kenya, launching on Shopify offers a credible, globally supported ecommerce platform — one that’s increasingly recognised by Kenyan customers and compatible with international trade.
Bold decision: launching and running your own Shopify store gives you control over branding, pricing, customer data and scale — far more than selling through marketplaces alone.
What you’ll need before you start (planning checklist)
Before you sign up for Shopify, you need clarity on:
- Your business model — Are you selling your own inventory, using dropshipping, print-on-demand (POD), or a hybrid of these?
- Product research and validation — Use tools (Google Trends, local market surveys, competitor scans) to gauge demand, price sensitivity, and potential volumes. Example gross margin calculation:
Cost of goods + fulfilment + shipping + Shopify fees + packaging = total cost Sale price − total cost = gross margin - Legal & compliance in Kenya — Register your business (get a KRA PIN), open a business bank account, and check VAT and other tax/compliance requirements if selling locally or exporting.
- Logistics & fulfilment plan — Decide whether you’ll self-fulfil, use local courier services, or adopt POD / 3PL (third-party logistics). Consider shipping costs and delivery times — especially for Kenyan customers.
- Budgeting — Estimate costs for domain, theme, initial stock or samples, shipping, marketing, and apps or third-party services. Keep a buffer for unexpected expenses.
- Minimum viable launch checklist: domain, theme, at least 10–30 product listings (or enough to test demand), payment gateway setup, shipping configuration, return policy, privacy policy.
Tip: Skip complexity at first. Launch a lean store, learn from real customers, then scale.
Choose the right Shopify plan & account setup
- Shopify provides several plans — from Basic up to Advanced (and enterprise tiers). For most beginners, the entry-level plan is enough. Once you grow traffic, product range or sales volume, consider upgrading.
- Use a business-specific email, strong password, and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to secure your account.
- Immediately configure store basics: business address, currency, regional settings. For example — if most buyers are Kenyan — set currency in KES or USD depending on your preference and payment method strategy.
Bold step: get store structure and security sorted before you add products — it avoids complications later as you scale.
Pick and register your domain
- Choose a domain that is brandable, short, easy to spell, and suited to your market. For Kenya, you may pick
.co.ke, but.comremains valuable if you plan to sell internationally. - Buy the domain through a registrar that gives you easy DNS control (e.g. Namecheap, GoDaddy or a local registrar).
- Within Shopify, add the domain and confirm DNS settings (A-record / CNAME) — most registrars provide guides or one-click integrations.
Tip: If you plan multiple stores (e.g. for different product lines) start with a sub-domain or single domain with clear branding to avoid confusion.
Choose and customise a theme (design fundamentals)
- Decide between free vs paid Shopify themes. Free themes are often sufficient to get started and load faster, while paid themes may offer advanced design and functionality.
- Prioritise a mobile-first design. Most Kenyan shoppers use smartphones; globally, mobile traffic dominates e-commerce. Make sure font sizes, buttons, images and load times are optimised.
- Essential pages your store must have:
- Home
- Product pages
- Collection pages
- About us
- Contact us
- FAQ / Help
- Shipping & Returns policy
- Privacy policy / Terms of Service
- Layout suggestion for a simple but high-converting homepage: hero banner (with your unique selling proposition), featured / top products, customer testimonials or social proof, clear Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons, and footer with policy links.
Bold advice: keep user experience simple at launch — clarity beats complexity.
Product setup and catalogue best practice
- For each product define: title, short description, long description, SKU, price, weight/dimensions, variants (size, colour), images/videos, and any relevant metadata (barcodes).
- Photography: use high-quality, consistent images. Recommend at least 1–3 images per product (multiple angles), white or neutral background plus lifestyle/context images if possible. Videos help conversions.
- SEO optimisation for product pages: include keywords in title and description, write a meta description, use human-friendly URL slugs, add alt text to images, and enable structured data (schema) if possible.
- Pricing strategy: ensure your sale price covers cost of goods, fulfilment, shipping, platform fees, and still leaves healthy margin — don’t underestimate logistics costs, especially when shipping to or within Kenya.
Tip: Before launching, have at least 10 products live — fewer products makes store look empty; more products help build trust and give customers browsing options.
Payments and checkout
- For Kenyan operations consider integrating payment gateways that support local methods (e.g. mobile money, credit/debit, international cards). Shopify supports many gateways globally — check which ones work for Kenya or regionally.
- Configure checkout settings: decide whether customers must create accounts, enable order notes, enable fraud prevention/settings, and set checkout language/currency.
- If selling internationally, consider multi-currency setup (Shopify supports this), and be clear about currency display to avoid confusing buyers.
Bold point: A smooth, trustworthy checkout removes friction and increases conversions. Don’t rush this step.
Shipping, taxes and legal pages
- Define shipping zones and rates: for Kenya domestic shipping, international shipping (if any), and any regions you plan to serve. Use flat-rate or weight-based methods to start.
- Tax setup: enable taxes in Shopify; if operating in Kenya, ensure your pricing and checkout reflect VAT or other local tax requirements correctly.
- Create clear store policies: shipping policy, returns & refund policy, privacy policy, terms of sale — in plain, straightforward language. These help build customer trust.
Tip: Make sure policy pages are accessible (linked in footer/checkout) — many buyers check returns/refunds before purchasing.
Essential apps and integrations (what to install first)
Initially, only install apps that add critical functionality. Too many apps slow down your store and increase costs. Recommended first-installs:
- Analytics (e.g. Google Analytics 4, Shopify analytics)
- Email marketing / automation (e.g. Mailchimp, Klaviyo)
- Image optimisation (to reduce load time)
- SEO helper (for meta tags, sitemap, structured data)
- Review / social proof apps (help build trust)
- Shipping / label apps (if using couriers or 3PL)
- Accounting / bookkeeping integration (if you use software like Xero or QuickBooks)
Bold advice: Resist adding unnecessary apps early. Only expand once you see demand and real needs.
Pre-launch checklist and testing
Before you publish your store:
- Run test orders (use a test payment gateway or manual payment option) to check checkout flow, taxation, shipping calculations, order confirmation and notifications.
- Test on different devices: desktop, tablet, mobile — check responsiveness, speed, layout.
- Test links, buttons, forms (contact, signup, checkout).
- Set up analytics and tracking: ensure Google Analytics, or Shopify built-in analytics, and any ad pixels or tracking (if you intend to advertise) are properly installed. Use UTM parameters for any link you plan to promote.
- Draft launch communications: prepare an email to announce launch, social media copy, ad creatives, first-week promotions.
Bold step: Don’t rush launch. A buggy store at launch undermines credibility and hurts long-term growth.
Launch marketing playbook (first 90 days)
In the first three months after launch, focus on building traffic, conversions and brand trust.
Paid media
- Use search ads (Google Search / Shopping) if you sell products with clear search demand.
- Use social ads (Meta / Instagram / Facebook) — tailor creatives to mobile users, emphasise benefits and clear value propositions.
- Allocate budget realistically — start small, measure cost per acquisition (CPA), then scale gradually.
Organic and content marketing
- Optimise product pages for SEO.
- Publish blog posts or content relevant to your products or audience (e.g. “How to choose…”, “Why print-on-demand is good for small businesses”, “Care guide for products”).
- List your store or products in local or regional directories and marketplaces — but treat them as supplementary, not substitutes for your store.
Email marketing and retention
- Send a welcome email immediately after sign-up/purchase.
- Implement an abandoned cart email flow (one or two reminders).
- After purchase, send a thank-you / review request email. Consider a simple nurture sequence.
Metrics to aim for (as benchmarks)
- Global average ecommerce conversion rate often cited around 1.5 – 2 per cent — use this as baseline while optimising. Sellers Commerce+1
Bold focus: First 90 days is about learning — gather data, observe behaviour, iterate fast.
Analytics, KPIs and what to optimise
To grow sustainably, track and optimise around:
- Traffic by source (organic, paid, referral, social)
- Conversion rate (overall, by source, by product)
- Average order value (AOV)
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Repeat purchase rate (for returning customers)
- Gross margin per order (after cost, fulfilment and fees)
Set up dashboards (Shopify’s built-in reports, or external tools like Google Data Studio / Looker Studio) to visualise performance.
Bold principle: Data-driven decisions beat guesswork. Review KPIs weekly in early weeks, then monthly once stable.
Post-launch scaling and operations
Once the store begins to stabilise:
- Consider engaging 3PLs or fulfilment partners if volumes rise — to ensure delivery reliability and faster turnaround.
- Introduce advanced tactics: loyalty programmes, subscription or repeat-order options, product bundling or upsells, dynamic pricing (sales, discounts, bundles).
- Improve customer service and returns handling — establish standard operating procedures (SOPs), response time targets, and clear return/refund policies.
- If growth becomes significant, consider upgrading plan (e.g. to Shopify Plus) or moving to a more custom / headless ecommerce architecture.
Bold step: Scaling isn’t just about sales — it’s about building systems that support growth sustainably.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Common mistakes made by new Shopify store owners:
- Poor product photography or inconsistent branding — makes store look untrustworthy.
- Missing or unclear shipping/returns/legal policies — leads to abandoned carts or customer disputes.
- Ignoring mobile optimisation — given high mobile usage, this hurts conversions.
- Overloading with too many apps — slows site speed, complicates maintenance, increases cost.
- Launching without testing — bugs in checkout or payment can kill trust permanently.
Tip: Keep launch simple, validate demand first, then invest in enhancements.
Final checklist & 30/60/90 day roadmap
| Phase | Key Actions |
|---|---|
| Pre-launch | Business registration, domain, theme, 10+ products, payment & shipping setup, test orders |
| Launch (Day 0–7) | Publish store, announce via email / social, soft-launch promotions, ensure operations functioning |
| Month 1 (Days 8–30) | Run initial ads (small budget), collect data, track conversions, adjust pricing or product mix, solicit feedback/reviews |
| Month 2 (Days 31–60) | Expand traffic sources — content, SEO, social, retargeting; set up abandoned cart emails; optimise store speed / UX |
| Month 3 (Days 61–90) | Evaluate performance (CAC, ROAS, AOV), scale what works, consider fulfilment improvements or partnerships, plan for next 3–6 months |
Use this roadmap as both a planning tool and accountability framework — update it weekly or monthly as you go.
FAQs
Q: How much does it cost to start a Shopify store?
A: At minimum, costs include domain purchase (~US$ 10–15 per year), Shopify plan (entry-level monthly fee), product samples or stock, photography, marketing budget — you can start lean, but expect a few hundred dollars before you test properly.
Q: How long does it take to launch?
A: If you have product data ready, you could launch within a few days. For best results, allow 1–2 weeks to finalise product pages, policies, payment and shipping setup, and test the checkout flow.
Q: Can I accept mobile money payments (e.g. M-Pesa) in Kenya on Shopify?
A: Yes — integration depends on payment gateway support. Research local gateways or payment processors that integrate with Shopify and support mobile money in Kenya.
Q: Should I use print-on-demand (POD) or hold stock?
A: POD reduces upfront cost and risk — good for testing products or launching small stores. Holding stock gives you more control over quality, fulfilment speed and margins — better when you scale.
Q: Is Shopify better than marketplaces?
A: For long-term brand building, owning your store is superior: full control over branding, data, customer relationships, pricing and margins. Marketplaces can supplement sales but should not be your only channel.
If you are ready to launch a Shopify store — or want an audit to check readiness — contact us.
Email: [email protected] | WhatsApp: +254 747 728 343
We’ll help you with setup, design, marketing strategy and scaling — tailored for Kenyan businesses targeting local and international customers.
