Ecommerce Setup Guide — Kenya
Set Up Your Online Store & Start Selling in Kenya
A complete walkthrough for Kenyan business owners — from creating your account to receiving your first M-Pesa order. No coding, no tech skills needed.
< 1 hr
to go live
Free
to start
2,000+
stores on sell.ke
What your sell.ke store includes
Everything you need is built in — no plugins, no third-party services.
Mobile-first storefront
Over 80% of Kenyan shoppers browse on mobile. Your sell.ke store loads fast and looks great on every screen.
M-Pesa checkout — no plugins
Lipa na M-Pesa is built directly into your checkout. Customers pay in seconds, you get notified immediately.
Inventory synced with your POS
One stock count for in-store and online. A sale anywhere updates your inventory everywhere.
Order dashboard
See all pending, confirmed, and completed orders in one place. Export reports for accounting.
WhatsApp & social sharing
Share your full store or individual product pages directly into WhatsApp chats, Instagram Stories, and Facebook.
Custom domain support
Use yourbusiness.sell.ke for free, or point your own .co.ke or .com domain at your store.
Step-by-step: setting up your store
Follow these steps in order — most sellers complete the full setup in under an hour.
Create your free sell.ke account
Go to pos.sell.ke and sign up with your phone number. No credit card or paperwork needed. Your store URL (e.g. amani.sell.ke) is reserved instantly.
Pick a store name that matches your business — customers will see it in their browser bar and on receipts.
Add your brand — logo, colours & store name
Upload your logo, set your brand colours, and write a short store description. This appears on your storefront, order confirmation emails, and receipts.
A clear logo and description builds trust with first-time buyers.
Add your products
Add products one by one or bulk-upload from a spreadsheet. For each product: upload photos, write a description, set a price, and enter your stock quantity.
Use multiple photos per product — stores with 3+ photos per listing see significantly higher conversion.
Set up product categories
Group your products into categories (e.g. 'Clothes', 'Electronics', 'Fresh Produce') so customers can browse easily. Categories show up in your store's top navigation.
Keep category names short and obvious — the way a customer would say it out loud.
Connect M-Pesa payments
Link your Safaricom Paybill or Buy Goods (Till) number. sell.ke's team walks you through the setup over WhatsApp — it typically takes under 30 minutes. Once connected, customers pay with M-Pesa at checkout without leaving your store.
You can also enable Airtel Money and card payments from the same settings screen.
Choose your domain
Your store is live at yourbusiness.sell.ke by default — no extra cost. If you want a .co.ke or .com address, you can point it at your sell.ke store for free from the domain settings.
A custom domain looks more professional and is easier for customers to remember.
Share your store link
Copy your store link and paste it into your WhatsApp Business bio, Instagram bio, Facebook page, and any printed materials. You can also share individual product links directly in chats.
Pin your store link in your WhatsApp Business profile — customers tap it and land straight on your storefront.
Receive your first order
When a customer places an order and pays via M-Pesa, you receive an instant notification. Confirm the order, pack it, and arrange delivery or pick-up. The order appears in your dashboard with the payment status already confirmed.
Turn on order SMS alerts so you never miss a sale even when the dashboard isn't open.
Everything included in every sell.ke store
Setting up your online store — FAQ
How do I set up an online store in Kenya?
Sign up for a free sell.ke account at pos.sell.ke, add your products with photos and prices, connect your M-Pesa Paybill or Buy Goods number, and share your store link. The full setup takes under an hour with sell.ke's WhatsApp support team helping you at each step.
Do I need technical skills to set up an online store in Kenya?
No. sell.ke is designed for business owners, not developers. Everything is point-and-click — upload photos, type descriptions, set prices. No coding, no hosting setup, no domain configuration required unless you want a custom domain.
How do I add M-Pesa to my online store?
In your sell.ke dashboard, go to Settings → Payments and enter your Safaricom Paybill or Buy Goods number. sell.ke connects directly to Safaricom's API so M-Pesa payments at checkout are confirmed automatically — no manual reconciliation needed.
Can I use my own domain name for my sell.ke store?
Yes. Your store comes with a free subdomain (yourbusiness.sell.ke). You can also point any .co.ke, .com, or other domain you own at your sell.ke store at no extra charge from the domain settings in your dashboard.
How do customers find and access my store?
Share your store link on WhatsApp Business, Instagram, Facebook, and in any printed materials like flyers or receipts. Customers tap the link, browse your products, and pay with M-Pesa without needing to download any app.
How do I manage orders from my online store?
All orders appear in your sell.ke dashboard with real-time status. You receive an SMS and in-app notification when a new order arrives. Confirm, pack, and mark orders as fulfilled — the customer receives a confirmation automatically.
Can my online store and physical shop share the same inventory?
Yes — this is one of sell.ke's core features. One product catalogue and one stock count powers both your in-store POS checkout and your online store. A sale in either place deducts from the same inventory.
Ready to set up your store?
Free trial — no credit card. Your store is live with M-Pesa payments in under an hour. The sell.ke team supports you on WhatsApp every step of the way.