Dropshipping in Africa: How to create a site for your online business and generate income?

WHY CREATE AN E-COMMERCE SITE in Cameroon and Africa?

An e-commerce site in Cameroon and Africa allows you  to start at a lower cost  compared to traditional companies. Plus, you can get started much faster. The management of an e-commerce site does not require a physical presence in a specific location, except perhaps for the storage and preparation of orders which you can completely outsource, or even better if you do not have stock. (we will talk about this later in the article).

It has never been easier to launch an e-commerce site these days, just look at the number of e-commerce sites in Cameroon and Africa to realize it. With the evolution of technologies, the media with a lot of success stories, (if I assure you, I also fell into the trap) e-commerce has long been  seen as an Eldorado . As a result, increased competition has emerged in many themes.

It now happens to anyone who wants to get started to professionalize and stand out from other sites. As a result, you need to know the many choices available to you when creating your e-commerce site . What technology used? How much will this cost me? Do I need to have significant technical skills to set up my site?

TECHNOLOGIES TO LAUNCH YOUR E-COMMERCE SITE in Cameroon and Africa

We’re going to get to the heart of the matter: the technology itself. Before, a very long time ago, you had to be a developer to set up your site. Now, between CMS and turnkey solutions, it becomes very  easy to get started .

CREATE YOUR E-COMMERCE SITE WITH A CMS

CMS means in English “content management system” which means content management system in French. With this type of open source solution, you download the source file that you install on your server and you just have to configure your store: with free or paid themes (the skin of your site) and modules also free or paid (the features of your site).

The simplest solutions to set up your site at a lower cost are:

• Prestashop;
• Magento;
• WordPress  with the woocomerce module.

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Technical knowledge :

On the other hand, once you buy your theme, you have to customize it. If you do not have a minimum of technical knowledge to touch the code or the CSS, you risk spending sleepless nights pulling your hair out. This type of technology therefore requires a little technical knowledge, to be preferred if you have an intermediate level in HTML/CSS.

CREATE YOUR E-COMMERCE SITE WITH A TURNKEY SOLUTION in Cameroon and Africa

A few months ago, I was resistant to this kind of solution, because for me, with this type of solution, we are too confined. In my view of things, “making a real site” is done on a CMS, prestashop in mind, because it’s a CMS that I’ve been using for quite a few years now.

I thought, wrongly, that this type of shop did not do pro at all. Again, this is a serious mistake. If I have the skills to install and configure my prestashop store, why not create a turnkey online store to test and see if the rendering is just as professional and if the solution meets all my expectations. So, I  created my store with Shopify  and there I was pleasantly surprised.

When it took me a few days / weeks to launch my site,  with shopify in a few clicks it was settled  ! Everything is editable easily, I don’t even need to touch the code. Via my interface, I can move the blocks of my site, add a slider, a call to action button, everything can be changed quickly. What about unprofessional rendering? The site looks very good and it looks very professional! For $20/month, my shop is launched, even cheaper than with prestashop. And it allows me to quickly confront my market and see if my shop and my products will appeal rather than waiting weeks and weeks working on a site without even knowing if the sauce will take.

Do you have a specific project in mind?

Whatever project you have in mind in terms of creating a website or mobile application in Cameroon, LocalHost guides you and helps you clarify your ideas. Worried about your budget? No worries, LocalHost studies your project for free and offers you an estimate within 24 hours.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of turnkey solutions:

• Shopify  (in English but one of the most efficient);
• ePro Shopping  (by far the easiest);
• wizishop
• Oxatis

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We have seen that it is now possible to create an e-commerce site at a lower cost, but what about stock? Building up a stock is expensive you say? We will see later in this article that not necessarily.

SELL IN  DROPSHIPPING in Cameroon and Africa

As I told you above, buying a stock is expensive! Now you can  launch your online store without stock!  How ? With dropshipping . No more need to buy or store products, it’s your supplier who sends the products to your customer for you. On the other hand, you must test the seriousness of your supplier and this one must not put an invoice or logo so that the customer does not know that it is not you who sends the product.

Dropshipping has several advantages in Cameroon and Africa :

• The low cost to get started;
• You can offer a large catalog;
• You don’t need to have a warehouse to store;
• You can test your market quickly;
• You can have a  nice margin  with Chinese dropshippers.

But also some disadvantages:

• Delivery times are important and this can be disappointing for the customer;
• You have no control over delivery.

Despite these drawbacks, dropshipping is ideal for  getting started and testing your market quickly. But as soon as the number of customers increases, it is advisable to build up a stock to avoid customer disappointment.

SELL ON MARKETPLACES

With marketplaces , you can sell without having an e-commerce site . Marketplaces like Amazon, priceminister, Cdiscount or Durrell Market in Cameroon have huge traffic. You can therefore sell your products on these platforms. However, to sell on these sites you must have a business and above all have a stock. But you will  not have to pay to have traffic  and above all you will be able to test your product. Be careful, however, marketplaces take many fees between the subscription and the commissions on sales.

A FEW TIPS FOR LAUNCHING YOUR E-COMMERCE SITE

Here are some tips to get you started as quickly as possible without money:

• Open a turnkey store ( LocalHost does it for you from 150,000F)
• Invest in the Facebook ad (50,000F / month);
• Increase your budget if sales are good;
• Work on your SEO;
• Build up your first small stock;
• Register on marketplaces like Durrell Market (5000 FCFA / month per marketplace + commissions).

CONCLUSION

We clearly see that it is  possible to get started quickly without money and without  special technical knowledge. I advise you to get started quickly in dropshipping in Cameroon and Africa and above all not to put too much money on your site. Above all, you need to have a marketing budget to bring visitors to your store: this is the sinews of war. Because like I said, you can have the most beautiful shop. Without traffic, you will never make sales . Once you have tested your market you can then buy a stock.

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LocalHost Digital : Your Web & Digital Agency in Africa

The N°1 Digital Transformation Agency LocalHost Digital is at your disposal for all your projects. Our Digital Agency specializes in the Development and Integration of Digital Solutions for Companies (ERP, CRM, Commercial Management, Dedicated Solutions, etc.), the Creation of Professional Websites , the Development of Web and Mobile Applications , the Development of Business applications, Digital Marketing , as well as in Graphic Design and Practical Training in the various Digital professions . We are a  Digital Transformation Company which stands out for its wide range of services and creative strategies, but above all for the quality of our achievements. We support and educate our customers so that they get the most out of the solutions we build with them.

We publish and integrate software solutions designed to simplify and optimize the management of specific businesses and activities:

Take advantage of the promotion to launch your professional website

We are specialists in the Creation of Professional Websites with several years of experience serving companies and individuals around the world. Consult our achievements by CLICKING HERE

Some Recent Achievements of LocalHost Digital: Best Web and Digital Agency in Cameroon