E-commerce websites have been on the rise in Kenya with internet penetration on the rise.
In fact, according to datareportal, there were 23.35 million internet users in Kenya in January 2022.
They also state that Kenya’s internet penetration rate stood at 42.0 percent of the total population at the start of 2022.
With such numbers, it is safe to say that Kenya is one of the most tech-savvy populations on the continent.
In this article, I discuss the different steps for designing a fully functional E-commerce website, listing all tools and software needed.
The 2 e-commerce websites we shall use as case studies are Ayiemmo Jewellery and Bidco’s e-commerce platform.
Here is the list of the steps for designing a functional e-commerce website.
- Identify a reliable CMS
- Choose the best e-commerce plugin
- Download the required plugins
- Get the right images
- Ensure your website is device friendly
- Invest in social media
- Invest in SEO
Step 1: Identify a reliable Content Managaemnt System (CMS)
WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world. However, when it comes to developing e-commerce websites, Shopify is quite popular.
With that said, I prefer using WordPress in developing any kind of website, e-commerce sites included.
Both the case study websites use WordPress as their CMS. It is important to note that we are talking about WordPress.org and not WordPress.com. The difference between the two is that WordPress.com provides its own hosting service and it is not free while WordPress.org is an open source system and gives you the liberty of hosting your website elsewhere.
Step 2: Choose the best E-commerce plugin
Woocommerce is undoubtedly the most popular and used e-commerce plugin in the world.
It has 5+ million downloads solidifying its popularity. But this ‘fame’ is not without its merit. Woocommerce is an easy-to-use plugin that allows one to add products, manage your store and customers and so much more.
I can confidently say that you should not look any further when it comes to an e-commerce plugin.
Both Ayiemmo and Bidco use Woocommerce as their e-commerce plugin.
Step 3: Download all the required plugins
Plugins add functionality to your website. If you do not know how to code, you can find a plugin that will add the needed functionality.
The list below is not exhaustive but outlines the key plugins that one needs to have a working e-commerce site:
- Payment Gateway – PesaPal
- Page builder – Elementor
- E-commerce builder – Woocommerce
- Editing checkout fields -Checkout field for woocommerce
- MailPoet – To ensure emails are delivered to your customers when they order
- Backup – Updraft
Let’s briefly talk about the PesaPal payment gateway.
It is a simple-to-use gateway that will enable your shoppers to pay trough various methods such as M-Pesa, Airtel Money, or their debit/credit card.
The support they offer is quite good. The only drawback of this plugin is it seems they do not have automatic updates. So you’d have to manually check for plugin updates.
The image you see below is of the Ayiemmo e-commerce site. Once you choose Pesapal as the preferred payment option, you will be presented with a box as shown below.
If you choose M-Pesa, all you need to do is enter the mobile number that will be making the payment and you will get a STK push to enter your M-Pesa PIN and complete the payment.
Bidco’s checkout page is not that different.
You also choose your preferred payment method, and if you choose M-Pesa, you enter your mobile number. You will also get a prompt to enter your PIN to complete payment.
Providing multiple payment methods is essential depending on your demographic.
In Africa and especially Kenya, you must have mobile money as an option as many shoppers use mobile money on a day to day basis compared to card payments or transactions.
Step 4: Get the right images
Your images need to be professional. That’s it.
Visuals do a great deal when it comes to the overall website experience.
That’s why big companies such as Shein invest big bucks in product photography.
When it comes to your images, you need a photographer. Unless you are drop-shipping and using images from the manufacturers, there is no way round this.
Step 5: Ensure your website is device friendly
According to Oberlo, nearly three out of every four dollars spent on online purchases today is done so through a mobile device.
You therefore cannot afford not to have your site mobile-friendly. Instruct your designer to ensure your site can be accessed with ease on a mobile phone or tablet.
Confirm if your website passes the mobile usability test.
Step 6: Invest in social media
Promoting your products on social media is a must if you want to succeed in the cut-throat world of online commerce.
How else will prospects get to know about you?
Adidas does this very well as they are always promoting their products with paid ads on Instagram and publishing quality content on their feed
Step 7: Invest in SEO
Apart from social media, investing in Search Engine Optimization is critical for success.
When users are searching on Google or any other search engine, you want your website to be among the first websites that users see.
Investing in SEO is a long-term game and to find out more on how to go about this, you need to read the article from Backlinko on E-commerce SEO
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