Selling Shoes Online in Kenya: A Simple Guide

Selling shoes online in Kenya is more straightforward than most product categories, mainly because the biggest question a customer has, whether a pair is available in their size, is something a clear catalog can answer without a back-and-forth conversation.

What makes shoes easier to sell online

Unlike fashion items where fit varies by cut and body shape, shoe sizing is a single number most customers already know. A catalog listing available sizes per style means a customer can check availability themselves before ever messaging you, which cuts down the repetitive size-checking that eats into time spent on other parts of the business.

Setting up your catalog

• List each style separately. Group by style rather than lumping everything into one general listing, so a customer can see exactly what sizes are left in a specific design.
• Show sizes clearly. Whether in the product description or the title itself, list which sizes are currently in stock so customers are not asking about sizes you no longer have.
• Photograph from multiple angles. A side profile, the sole, and a top-down view give customers a clearer sense of the shoe than a single photo does.
• Group by category. Splitting men's, women's, and children's styles into separate groups makes a catalog easier to browse once you have more than a handful of styles listed.

Keeping stock counts accurate

Nothing frustrates a customer more than ordering a size that turned out to have sold already. Updating your catalog as soon as a size sells out, rather than waiting until the end of the day or week, keeps the listed sizes matching what you can actually fulfill, which matters more for shoes than for most categories since there is rarely a substitute size a customer will accept instead.

Avoiding sizing confusion

Shoes sold in Kenya are often labeled in a mix of UK, EU, and US sizing depending on where they were sourced, and a size 7 in one system is not a size 7 in another. Stating clearly which sizing system a listing uses, rather than assuming customers already know, prevents the most common reason for a wrong-size order. If you sell stock sourced from different suppliers with different labeling, it is worth converting everything to one consistent system across your whole catalog before listing.

Taking orders and getting paid

Shoes sell well through both automated checkout and WhatsApp ordering, since there is usually little to confirm beyond size and delivery details. If you want customers to pay immediately without a message first, automated checkout suits ready-made stock well. If you prefer to confirm delivery details before payment, WhatsApp ordering works just as well. Either way, payment goes straight to your own Till Number, PayBill, or Pochi la Biashara account, not through FlexiDuka.

Handling wrong-size returns

Even with clear sizing, occasional wrong-size orders happen. Deciding your exchange policy upfront, such as whether a customer can swap for a different size within a set number of days, and stating it plainly in your listings, avoids the policy being negotiated after the fact on a case-by-case basis.

What it costs to start

A Starter plan, at KES 1,200 a year, covers up to 10 listings, which is enough for a handful of styles across a few sizes each. As your range grows, Standard and Growth plans cover up to 30 and 75 listings.

Pairing your shop with social media

A shop link works alongside the social media you already use rather than replacing it. Posting new arrivals to Instagram or a WhatsApp status with a link back to the full catalog gives followers a permanent place to check sizes and order, instead of only being able to act on a post in the moment it appears.

Getting started

If you already have stock ready to photograph, our step-by-step launch guide walks through the full setup from choosing a plan to sharing your shop link. When you are ready, send your business details and pick a plan on our pricing page.