How to start an online shop in Ghana (step by step)

Short answer: To start an online shop in Ghana, decide what you will sell, set up an online store with your products and prices, add a checkout that accepts Mobile Money and cards, plan how you will deliver, then share your store link everywhere your customers already are: WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. You can do all of this from your phone with a store builder like Vendar.

This guide walks you through each step in plain language, whether you already sell through DMs or you are starting from zero.

Step 1: Decide what you will sell and who you will sell to

Start with one clear product range and one type of customer. A shop that sells "ladies' shoes and bags for working women in Accra" is easier to grow than a shop that sells a bit of everything.

Ask yourself:

• What do people already ask me for?
• Can I get steady stock at a price that leaves me a profit?
• Can the item be delivered safely and cheaply?

If you already sell on WhatsApp or Instagram, look at your past chats. The questions customers ask most often tell you what to stock and what to explain on your product pages.

Step 2: Get your products ready (photos, prices, stock)

Your product page does the talking when you are not there, so prepare each product properly:

• Clear photos in good daylight, on a plain background. Show the front, the back and any detail customers ask about.
• A fixed price in cedis. Customers trust a shop that shows its prices instead of "DM for price".
• Sizes, colours and variants, so customers don't need to ask.
• How many you have in stock. Selling something you don't have is the fastest way to lose a customer.
• A short description that answers the usual questions: material, size guide, what is included.

Step 3: Set up your online store and domain

An online store is a website where customers can browse, choose and pay without waiting for you to reply. With Vendar's online store builder you don't need coding skills:

1. Sign up and name your store.
2. Add your logo, colours and products.
3. Use the free Vendar subdomain (for example, yourshop.vendar.online), or connect your own custom domain (for example, yourshopname.com) if you have one.
4. Check your store on your phone, then publish. Setup takes about 30 minutes.

Your own domain makes your business look established and gives you one link to share everywhere.

Step 4: Set up payments: Mobile Money and cards

Customers should be able to pay the way they already pay every day. Vendar's checkout runs on Paystack and accepts:

• MTN MoMo
• Telecel Cash
• AirtelTigo Money
• Bank cards

The customer picks a method at checkout, approves the payment, and the order is marked paid in your dashboard. You don't need to wait for screenshots or check your MoMo app for every order.

What you need: no ID to start, just a mobile money name and number.

Fees: Vendar takes no commission on your sales. Paystack's 2% processing fee is paid by the shopper at checkout, not by you, so you receive the full product price. On a GHS 100 item, the shopper pays GHS 102 and you get GHS 100. Payouts go to your MoMo wallet or bank account and follow Paystack's standard schedule. Any withdrawal fees come from your telco or bank, not Vendar. Refunds follow Paystack's standard policy.

Read more on our Mobile Money payments page.

Step 5: Plan delivery and pickup

Decide this before your first order comes in:

• Where will you deliver? Your town only, your region, or all of Ghana?
• Who will deliver? Your own rider, a dispatch rider service, or a courier for other regions.
• How much will you charge? Set clear delivery prices by area so there are no surprises.
• Will you offer pickup? A pickup point helps customers who live nearby.

Write your delivery and returns rules down and show them on your store. Clear rules prevent arguments later.

Step 6: Let customers shop on WhatsApp too

Many Ghanaian customers like to ask questions on WhatsApp before they buy. You don't have to choose between WhatsApp and a store.

On the Pro plan, Vendar has a general Vendar WhatsApp bot, built on Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform, that serves each shop's customers from that shop's own catalogue. Shoppers can browse and order through it, and merchants can use it to run their shop. Vendar also has VendarChat, a separate chatbot that shoppers use on your store's website, and that you and your team admins use inside the merchant dashboard. The bots don't hand chats to a person. When a shopper needs you, the bot gives them your shop's contact number so they can reach you directly.

See how it works on our sell on WhatsApp page.

Step 7: Share your store and get your first orders

Your store only sells when people see it. To get your first orders:

• Put your store link in your WhatsApp Business profile, Instagram bio and TikTok bio.
• Post new products on your WhatsApp status with the product link.
• Tell your past customers that they can now order and pay online.
• Ask happy customers to share your link with friends.
• Reply quickly and deliver on time. Word of mouth is still the strongest marketing in Ghana.

What it costs to start with Vendar

Vendar has two yearly plans:

• Starter: GHS 2,000 per year
• Pro: GHS 4,000 per year. The Vendar homepage lists Pro as everything in Starter plus the website and WhatsApp shopping assistant, a WhatsApp operations copilot and alerts, SMS order alerts and priority support.

Billing is yearly. If paying the full year at once is hard, Vendar can arrange a payment plan. Vendar takes no commission on sales.

Payments are processed by Paystack, and the 2% processing fee is paid by the shopper. See the plans on our homepage.

Vendar serves merchants across all of Ghana. Questions? Call or WhatsApp +233 24 617 0089.

Start your online shop with Vendar