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WhatsApp and couriers shape online commerce in Ghana

By , based on MyJoyOnline

WhatsApp and couriers shape online commerce in GhanaIllustrative image · Norma Mortenson · Pexels · Licence Pexels

In Ghana, traders sell their products on Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp, take payments through mobile money and rely on motorcycle couriers for deliveries. This informal model, built around familiar digital tools and trust between sellers and customers, is shaping a local form of online commerce, MyJoyOnline reports.

In Ghana, sellers conduct online transactions by combining Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp with MoMo mobile payments and motorcycle couriers, MyJoyOnline reports. Exchanges often take place through messages or voice notes: the customer confirms an order, pays by MoMo and sends a screenshot as proof before delivery.

On TikTok, sellers livestreaming have also established an informal reservation system: “W” signals that a buyer wants an item, “P” that they are passing, and “D” that the item has been sold. Comments and screenshots are thus used to organise orders and fulfilment, even though TikTok’s built-in sales tools are not available in the region.

This activity relies on platforms and habits already used every day in Ghana, particularly in Accra and Kumasi. Sellers coordinate payments and deliveries without necessarily using a traditional online shop or shopping basket.

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