eCommerce is the trading of goods and services on the internet. To do this successfully you must replicate offline features online.

You must get at least three things right. The first of which is an online store. Setting up an online store is a technical endeavor. Next inventory tracking which monitors the inflow of goods and then payment processing.

Each of this steps by themselves is quite frustating. Solutions like Shopify, WooCommerce and PrestaShop exist. Shopify is a ‘DIY’ (do it yourself) platform that allows you to create an online store in minutes even if you are not technical.

WooCommerce (based on WordPress) and PrestaShop are technical solution that involve having access to a developer.

However if you need a solution that is unique to Nigeria, I recommend QShop.

QShop is also a ‘DIY’ (do it yourself) platform for creating your e-commerce site in minutes. With QShop, you can receive online payments, track inventory, upload unlimited products, set your shipping rates, and much more in just a few minutes.

Founded by Tarebi Alebiosu, QShop was started during the COVID-19 pandemic as more businesses were forced to go online. The ‘MVP’ (Minimum Viable Product) was released between late August 2020 and early September 2020, and quickly grew to about 2,000 users in 3 months.

Today the company services over 20,000 businesses across Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda.

The vision of the company is to provide accessible e-commerce tools to small businesses across Africa that transform their businesses and help them structure and scale their businesses.

Compared with Shopify, QShop is a mobile first solution that allows you to set up your store online. Users get notified of new orders by email and WhatsApp. You can sell both digital and physical products on QShop.

With a QShop site, customers can upload their products directly from Instagram and activate their Facebook pixel for advertising purposes.

Users can start with a free tier with pricing starting at N6,250 per month. The paid tier presents inventory management, sales reports, customer lists and shipping set-up, among other features.

To receive payments, all you need to set up your QShop is your contact details, business name, product pictures, prices, and bank details. QShop currently offers same day settlements to customer

You can use your domain name with QShop or buy one through QShop if you don’t already have a domain name.