Five valuable tools to help you run your e-commerce business in Africa

Online shopping in Africa generated around $27.97 billion in 2020, increasing by over $6 billion since 2019. According to statista.com, the e-commerce revenue in Africa will keep rising between 2021 and 2025. In 2025, the whole e-commerce sector in Africa might reach a value of over $46.1 billion.

With more and more online businesses springing up to provide for the need of the ever-growing population of online shoppers, how do you make your business stand out?

Asides from selecting a good e-commerce platform for your business (you can read our detailed guide on this here), you need some essential tools to help you run your e-commerce business in Africa.

Payment processing tools

There is no e-commerce business without payment exchange. To make your products or services purchasable, you need to integrate an online payment tool with your business platform. As a company dedicated to seamless cross-border payments, we have payment tools that you can use to make your business scale. Sell with ease in African currencies when you integrate KlashaCheckout. As a merchant with either an online or offline business, you can use Klasha Payment Links to create and customise links to receive payments from your customers. Integrate a payment platform that is secure, trusted, and seamless for your customers. 

Content marketing tools

Content marketing is a sure way to spread the word about your brand. Your brand will be positioned appropriately for your prospective customers with content marketing tools. Take advantage of social media tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer, email marketing tools like GetDrip and Mailchimp, or SEO tools such as SEMrush and Google analytics. 

If your customers are also offline, you can break through the constant digital noise and land in your target customers’ hands using traditional media advertising tools.

Inventory management tools

As you grow your e-commerce business, your order volumes will increase, and keeping track of order fulfilment can get more complex. If you are managing your business inventory manually, there is a point where things will get out of control. 

Managing your inventory levels takes a lot of time, and it can be a hassle if you have to combine it with growing sales, among other business aspects. It would be best to get an inventory management system/tool that automatically tracks your stock and manages your inventory process. Some inventory management tools are Netsuite and Zoho inventory, to mention a few.  

Customer relationship management (CRM) tools

“Get closer than ever to your customers. So close, in fact, that you tell them what they need well before they realise it themselves.”-Steve Jobs

This quote by Steve Jobs sums up the importance of a CRM tool for your e-commerce business. A good CRM tool will help you engage and support your customers via text, mobile, phone, email, live chat, and social media. Also, ensure that you have a knowledge base or helpdesk to help customers find information quickly without reaching out to you. Platforms like Hubspot, Salesforce and Pipedrive will strengthen your company-customer relationship. 

Shipping services tools

Essential to startups and small-scale e-commerce businesses, using a reliable shipping tool for your business will help as manually or personally sorting out product delivery can be a considerable challenge. As a business owner who wants to attend to a global marketplace, you need a reputable delivery service to help you handle the heavy lifting of shipping quotations and label creation for order fulfilment.

Beyond payment methods, Klasha offers end-to-end logistics which tackle the complex maze of last-mile logistics in Africa. KlashaCargo is ideal for e-commerce businesses that need help with automating order generation efficiently. 

Importance of e-commerce tools

Using the right e-commerce tools help with your brand image and positioning to your customers, automate time-consuming tasks, and keep your business information organised. These valuable e-commerce tools will maximise your business online and give your customers the best shopping experience. 

Do you have questions about KlashaCheckout, Payment Links or KlashaCargo? Send us a message, and we’ll be in touch.