How To Use Shopify In Kenya [The Complete Guide]

In today’s post, we’ll discuss how to use Shopify in Kenya and everything you need to know about the eCommerce platform. 

If you’re an entrepreneur in Kenya looking to start an online store and wondering which e-commerce platform to use.

Shopify is a powerful and flexible platform that allows you to quickly and easily create a professional-looking online store quickly and easily.

Shopify is available in Kenya and is a great choice for anyone who wants to sell products online.

So basically, we’ll be discussing the peculiarity of Shopify in Kenya, its pros and cons and if Shopify is available in Kenya for eCommerce sellers.  

We’ll also touch on the areas of Shopify payment in Kenya: how you can receive payments on your Shopify store in Kenya if you choose to sell with Shopify Kenya. 

Let’s get started, shall we? 

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an all-in-one eCommerce platform that makes it easy to launch your dream business and start selling to your customers.

It’s a complete solution for entrepreneurs who want to easily build their own online store, with no technical skills needed.

Shopify is one of the best-known eCommerce platforms and has become the most popular choice for online stores.

It’s a large e-commerce hosting platform headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has exploded over the past decade.

It has become a staple for online retailers around the world, being present in Kenya also.

There are several Shopify websites in Kenya reaping the benefits of gaining a self-hosted, easy-to-navigate platform for their online brands and this number is expected to grow. 

Is Shopify Available in Kenya?

Yes, Shopify is available in Kenya. Online sellers in Kenya can now use the Shopify platform to sell their products (both physical and digital) online and offline.

Shopify has partnered with top payment providers in Kenya to facilitate payments from buyers and make it easy for sellers to sell to their target audience.

Buyers can pay in their local currency using their preferred payment gateways, making it easy for merchants to get paid or cash out their payments.

How Does Shopify Works In Kenya?

As we mentioned earlier, Shopify is basically good for newbie entrepreneurs that are just getting started with the eCommerce business.

You really don’t have to know the specifics to get started with Shopify in Kenya.

To use Shopify in Kenya, all you have to do is sign-up for a free Shopify account, and the Shopify wizard will take you through the whole process.

To start using Shopify in Kenya, you’ll have to have a product you want to sell. Once you have that, upload your product pictures, the shipping order and as well as the product quantity.

Your product image has to be of good quality.

The Shopify platform supports two popular ways of selling online. The first is having your product inventory yourself and the other is through dropshipping

Who Can Use Shopify in Kenya?

Basically, any eCommerce entrepreneur in Kenya can use the Shopify store to sell their products online. 

So technically, depending on what brand or niche you focus on around physical or digital products, Shopify can be your safe haven.

below are samples of what you can use your Shopify store to sell online, (Both physical and digital products) 

• Fashion
• Art
• Jewellery and Accessories
• Electronics
• Foods
• Memberships
• Home and Garden
• Furniture
• Sport and Recreation
• Toys and Games
• Service appointments
• Craft
• Books
• Consultations
• Quotes, estimates, and assessments
• Rentals
• Donations
• Event tickets
• Digital gift cards
• And much more… 

Shopify Pricing In Kenya

You should know that the cost of selling with Shopify each month varies based on how many products you sell and other tools needed to run it successfully.

However, before choosing any plan, you have a 14days free trial to test the platform. You can do this just to get familiarised with the platform and see what works and what don’t.

Shopify cost in Kenya comes in different plans.

• Shopify Basic costs $32 monthly (and 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction)
• The Shopify plan cost $92 monthly (and 2.6% + 30¢ per transaction)
• Advanced Shopify cost $399 monthly (and 2.4% + 30¢ per transaction)

Another thing you should know about the plan is that – you get a 10% discount on any plan you choose if you pay straight for a year. And a 20% discount if you pay straight up for two years.

You can purchase additional pricing packages or another pricing package for your Shopify store. They include:

• Shopify Lite lets you sell on an existing website, and costs $9/month
• Shopify Plus is designed for enterprises, costing $2000/month

Note: while Shopify does charge credit card fees as well as transaction fees on your sales, it’s actually possible to remove the transaction fees altogether if you use Shopify Payments, Shopify’s own payment system.

But this, however, is limited to a handful of countries. 

Please also note that there is no charge to manual payment methods on your Shopify store such as cash on delivery or bank transfers.

How Do I Pay For Shopify in Kenya?

When it comes to paying for Shopify in Kenya, there are several payment options available.

Shopify supports a wide range of payment gateways that are popular in Kenya, making it easy for you to pay for your subscription.

Here are some of the most popular payment methods you can use to pay for Shopify in Kenya:

1. Credit and Debit Cards

One of the most popular payment methods for Shopify in Kenya is credit and debit cards.

Shopify supports all major credit and debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.

To use this payment method, you simply need to enter your card details during checkout.

2. PayPal

PayPal is a popular payment method worldwide, and it is also supported by Shopify in Kenya.

To use PayPal to pay for your Shopify subscription, you simply need to link your PayPal account to your Shopify account.

Once linked, you can use PayPal to make payments for your subscription.

What Are The Available Payment Gateways For Shopify in Kenya?

If you are running a Shopify store in Kenya, you need to have a payment gateway that allows you to accept payments from customers.

Shopify supports a variety of payment gateways that are available in Kenya. Here are some of the payment gateways that you can use with Shopify in Kenya:

1. PayGate

PayGate is a payment gateway that allows you to accept payments from customers using Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

It also supports payments via mobile money services such as M-Pesa and Airtel Money.

PayGate can easily be integrated with Shopify, making it a convenient payment solution for Kenyan Shopify store owners.

2. DPO Pay

DPO Pay is another payment gateway that supports payment methods like M-Pesa, Airtel Money, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Tigo Pesa, MTN momo, etc.

DPO Pay can easily be integrated with Shopify, making it a great choice for Kenyan Shopify store owners.

3. Paystack

Paystack is a popular payment gateway in Nigeria that has recently expanded its services to Kenya.

It supports payments via Visa, Mastercard, and mobile money services like M-Pesa and Airtel Money.

Paystack can easily be integrated with Shopify, making it a convenient payment solution for Kenyan Shopify store owners.

4. IntaSend

IntaSend is a payment gateway that allows you to accept payments from customers using mobile money services like M-Pesa, Airtel Money, and Equitel.

It also supports payments via Visa and Mastercard. IntaSend can easily be integrated with Shopify, making it a great choice for Kenyan Shopify store owners.

5. PayPal

PayPal is a popular payment gateway that supports payments via Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

It also supports payments via PayPal accounts. PayPal can easily be integrated with Shopify, making it a convenient payment solution for Kenyan Shopify store owners.

These are just some of the payment gateways that you can use with Shopify in Kenya.

Each payment gateway has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the one that best suits your needs.

How To Sell on Shopify in Kenya

Selling is the process of marketing products online, and it includes everything from marketing, advertising, order management, shipping, and more.

Using social media and SEO (search engine optimization) is extremely important if you want to attract new customers to your Shopify website. They work together, so use both to your advantage.

You can maximize your SEO potential by including accurate product descriptions and other content that has relevant keywords.

It takes a bit of time to build up some momentum, but eventually, you’ll start to see a few new visitors to your site.

Shopify offers multiple features to help you get the word out there about your online store.

You can use different Shopify marketing apps such as Facebook channel and SEO Suite to post on social media and track your analytics and SEO.

Many apps are actually free and can be used effectively to create great marketing and advertising campaigns.

Step 1: Create Your Shopify Account

To get started, you need to create a Shopify account. Go to the Shopify website and click on the “Get Started” button.

Normally on the Shopify website, you’ll get access to 14 day trial that you can use to explore Shopify. But if you go through this Shopify promo page, you’ll gain access to 3 month free trial for $1.

So to get started, head over to the Shopify promo page to create your Shopify account.

Enter your email address. Once you’ve done that, click “Start Free Trial” to proceed. After doing that, you’ll be taken to the next page.

So here, Shopify will work you through a short question process, just answer with what best describe you.

It doesn’t matter if you’re write or wrong just choose the best one that describes you. Once you’ve done that, Click next and it will take you to the next page.

Just choose an online store since you want to use Shopify to create an online store. And not, just choose what best what you want to use your Shopify store for.

Again, it doesn’t matter if you choose right or wrong answer, it’s just a questionnaire for Shopify research purposes.

Once you’ve chosen where you’ll to sell to sell, click the next button.

Chose what best describe you’re shopify business, if its for dropshipping in Kenya, or selling digital product or even print on demand or product you buy and want to resell online.

The next page will ask you where you’ll be opening your Shopify store from. Choose your country from the dropdown menu.

So chose your country and click the next button to create your Shopify store and login to your Shopify account.

Click on continue with email address, the next page will ask you to enter the password you’ll like to use.

Enter your password and your Shopify account will be created. Once it’s created you see your dashboard like this…

Once in your Shopify dashboard, you’ll see the step of things you have to do. Like picking a pricing plan, adding a product and customising your Shopify store.

Step 2: Adding Products to Your Store

Once you’ve created your store, you can start adding products.

From you dashboard from the left hand-side click on the “Products” tab and then click “Add product” to add a new product.

Once you’ve click on add products you’ll be prompted at the next page to enter the product’s name, description, price, and other details.

You can also upload images of your products to make them more appealing and also add pricing to the product.

If the product have any variant, you can also add them here.

Step 3: Designing Your Shopify Store

After creating your account and adding products, you can start designing your store.

Shopify offers a wide range of themes and templates that you can use to customize your store’s design.

From the left handside of your dashboard, click “Online Store” it will bring a preview of your store based on the existing design.

Next, you can click on customize to start designing the store.

If you don’t like the existing theme, click on add theme below the customize button or scroll down to choose from the free available Shopify themes.

Choose a theme that suits your business and customize it to your liking. You can also add your logo, change the colors, and add images to make your store look more professional.

Step 4: Setting up Payment Methods

To start accepting payments, you need to set up payment methods. Shopify supports a wide range of payment gateways.

Go to the “Settings” tab and click on “Payment providers” to set up your payment methods.

Step 5: Choosing a Shopify Plan

After adding your products, customizing your store, you’ll need to choose a Shopify plan in other for your store to be visible and start your 3 month trial.

Shopify offers different pricing plans, depending on your business needs. Choose a plan that suits your business and budget.

You can start with the basic plan and upgrade later as your business grows. Once you add your payment details, you won’t be charge until the trials ends.

Step 6: Shipping and Delivery Options

Finally, you need to set up shipping and delivery options. Go to the “Settings” tab and click on “Shipping and delivery” to set up your shipping options.

You can choose to offer free shipping, flat rate shipping, or calculated shipping based on weight and destination.

Based on your store business, like dropshipping your store needs to have a shipping option that caters to all country you’ll be selling to.

Pros and Cons of Shopify eCommerce Platform

Let’s explore both their strength and limitation when it comes to selling with the popular Shopify platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s look at some of the frequently asked question about Shopify in Kenya. This will provide more info to queries we haven’t torched in the content.

Shopify In Kenya: Summary

If you are considering starting an online business in Kenya, Shopify is a great platform to consider.

It is easy to use, affordable, and offers a wide range of features and functionalities. With Shopify, you can easily create an online store, manage your inventory, and process payments.

Shopify has full 24/7 customer support regardless of your pricing plan. Their support is available always to any paying customers.

So put simply, there’s everything you need to run your store successfully on the Shopify platform. Plus the platform is completely SEO optimized.

If you’re still not certain about the Shopify platform, what i’ll suggest you do is try out the platform with the 30 days free trial for just $1 and see how the platform works.

If you’re not satisfied, all you simply need to do is cancel, and this way everybody walks home happy.

That’s everything about Shopify Kenya, if you have any questions let’s hear them using the comment section.