Mobile applications and social media platforms such as WhatsApp are now the primary drivers of e-commerce in Kenya, surpassing traditional websites as the preferred channels for placing and receiving online orders, a new survey shows.
The survey by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) indicates that mobile apps account for 44.8 percent of all order placements and receipts, while online messaging platform WhatsApp has emerged as a major shopping channel at 20.2 percent. This is amid a boom in conversational commerce, where buyers and sellers interact directly.
Mobile apps are a software in smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices for uses such as entertainment, banking, and messaging.
Traditional website portals account for just 12 percent of orders. Email (6.9 percent) and telephone calls (4.4 percent) are mainly used for confirmations and formal communication, while nearly one in 10 consumers combine multiple channels.
CA’s Customer Satisfaction Survey for July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, further shows that access to e-commerce platforms is primarily mobile-first.
About 71.3 percent of respondents use mobile phones to shop online, compared with 11.7 percent who rely on laptops, 9.6 percent on tablets, and just 7.5 percent on desktop computers.
Overall engagement mirrors this trend, with 44.8 percent of consumers using mobile apps, 21.8 percent shopping via social media platforms, and 16.9 percent using website portals.
“Mobile apps dominate transactions, social media drives discovery and influence, and websites remain a complementary but secondary channel,” the report notes.
Post the Covid-19 pandemic, many Kenyan retailers and chain stores like Quickmart, Carrefour, and Naivas have invested heavily in mobile apps to meet the growing demand for online shopping, which e-commerce platforms and marketplaces like Jiji, Kilimall, and Jumia had dominated.
Similarly, small-scale sellers of fashion and beauty items, household goods, accessories, and furniture have adopted social media platforms such as TikTok, WhatsApp, and Instagram to increase their reach and sell directly to followers (social commerce), buoyed by the widespread adoption of instant mobile money payment platforms like M-Pesa.
CA’s survey shows these domestic online outlets dominate the country’s e-commerce landscape, accounting for 47.7 percent of usage. Marketplaces and social media commerce follow at 18 percent, which CA attributes to the growing role of peer-to-peer and social selling.
At the same time, cross-border platforms like Amazon make up 13.8 percent amid continued demand for international products. “Notably, multi-channel blends—domestic combined with marketplace or with both cross-border and marketplace—together make up around 15 percent, showing that many consumers mix local, international, and social channels to maximise choice, convenience, and reach,” CA says.
On payments, mobile money remains the backbone of e-commerce, used by 65.7 percent of Kenyan shoppers. Cash on delivery still accounts for 13 percent of payments, indicating ongoing trust concerns.
Credit and debit cards (10.2 percent) and bank transfers (8.3 percent) are used mainly for more formal or higher-value transactions.
Meanwhile, delivery of goods and services is led by postal and courier services, which account for 42.5 percent. Collection points are used by 28.7 percent of shoppers. “In-person pickup (21.3 percent) remains significant, highlighting trust in direct handovers and the importance of physical presence in certain transactions,” the report says.
Despite the growth of online shopping, however, high delivery costs (43.6 percent) and fraud or scams (41.7 percent) are the most common barriers, followed by poor internet connectivity (35 percent) and power outages (17 percent).
The communications watchdog also flags product accuracy as a major concern among online buyers, with more than half of consumers (53.9 percent) saying they sometimes encounter inaccurate product descriptions. Nearly one in five (19.1 percent) reported that it happens often.
“Inaccurate or misleading product information is widespread, undermining trust and consistency in online shopping,” the regulator notes.
