All you need to know before starting up an E-commerce Website in Uganda

So if you’re into business and would like to start up an e-commerce venture in Uganda (selling shoes, make-up, fast foods, etc.) there are a few things you need to be prepared for.
Poor Sales
Do not expect to get high sales in the first 3 to 6 months. The first sales will mainly be from the friends/relatives or referrals that come to your site. Once you have the TRUST from your 1st customer, you’ll get more referrals than u can ever imagine but after months.
Bad Reviews
Yes, expect to get bad reviews about your service/ products even if you think they are the best. Use this data to make your products even better and come back with feedback. You will get more positive reviews after this.
Return Policy
You’ll often get people buying your products and offer to return them back because they are ‘Fake’. Well, you can actually offer to swap the product. However, always do checks to see if goods have already been tampered with.
Scammers (Con-men)
In Naija, they are called the ‘yahoo boys’ and even the FBI knows they’re not a joking subject. I often advise my clients to do CASH-ON-DELIVERY for their products. You’ll avoid having issues with ‘Stolen’ credit /debit cards or hackers.
Logistics
90% of the people willing to start up an e-commerce business have no idea how their products will be delivered. Do you plan on hiring a driver? Do you have any vehicles? Are the drivers well trained? Also SafeBoda offers a business solution & Delivery as well.
Marketing
There are many ways you can advertise your e-commerce business.
- SEO, PPC and display ads
- Social Media Ads
- E-mail marketing
- Influencer marketing
All these are not cheap but the best way is offering % discounts on every customer referral via your website.
Payments
In East Africa, Mobile Money is the most convenient way of doing payments. The integration via MM and e-commerce still has a long way to go (API’s) but there is nothing wrong with CASH-ON-DELIVERY if goods are less than $100 (Ushs. 367000/-). VISA is also possible.
Lastly, the Website!
From my past experiences, most businesses will spend averagely $300 on a good looking web interface with an e-commerce option.
The Question is, are e-commerce start ups in Uganda able to compete with ‘Big players’ that have spent millions of dollars in designing their sites?
