Creating an online store for your business in Nigeria doesn’t have to be expensive, especially when you’re just starting and not yet making enough sales to justify a monthly subscription or you are not sure which platform is best for your business.
While international platforms like Shopify might be the first names that come to mind, Nigeria has its own powerful and perfectly suited local e-commerce platforms. The best part? Many of these offer a free way to create an online store, giving you the perfect starting point to test the waters without any financial commitment.
This comprehensive guide dives into ten of the best free e-commerce platforms available for Nigerian businesses, helping you find the right tools to make your own website to sell products, manage orders, and accept payments seamlessly.
10 Free E-commerce Platforms for Nigerian Businesses
1. Bumpa
Bumpa is a popular all-in-one business tool that makes it easy for Nigerian businesses to create a professional online store in minutes. It’s a great option for those looking to build a free e-commerce website with unlimited products. The platform handles everything from inventory management and invoicing to customer relationship management (CRM), allowing you to focus on growing your business.
Key Features on a Free Account:
- Online Store: A free subdomain (e.g., yourbusiness.bumpa.shop) to set up your store.
- Products: Add up to 25 products to your store.
- Sales & Customers: Unlimited sales and customer records.
- Invoicing: Up to 50 invoices or receipts per month.
- Business Analytics: Limited analytics to track your store’s performance.
2. BrandDrive
BrandDrive provides a suite of growth tools designed for small businesses across Africa, with a strong focus on finance and sales. It allows you to build a free website with a custom domain, making it one of the best free e-commerce website builders. Beyond just a storefront, BrandDrive offers features for invoicing, bookkeeping, and global payments.
Key Features of the Free Plan:
- Store front
- User and Business Limits: 1 user (admin) and 1 business branch/location.
- Product and Customer Limits: Maximum of 50 products and services, 20 customers, and 20 vendors.
- Transaction Limits: Up to 100 invoices and unlimited sales records.
- Analytics: Includes simple analytics.
3. Kindlybook
Kindlybook is an excellent platform for service-based businesses in Nigeria that want an easy way to sell services online for free. It’s an online booking and scheduling platform for businesses. It allows clients to book your services and appointments easily and provides features to manage bookings, payments, and client communication.
Key Features of the Free Plan:
- Unlimited bookings and services
- An online booking website
- SMS and email reminders for clients
- A 6% processing fee on payments (this fee is capped at a certain amount and is paid by the business or client)
- Chat and email support
4. Selar
For creators and digital product sellers, Selar is one of the best free online shop platforms available. It allows you to sell digital products like e-books and courses, as well as physical goods. It is a completely free e-commerce website to get started on and provides a unique product URL you can share across all your channels.
Key Features on a Free Account:
- It’s free to create an account and list your products.
- Sell any kind of product, from digital goods to physical items.
- Accept payments from anywhere in the world in multiple currencies.
- No Subscription Fees. Selar operates by charging a commission on successful sales instead of a monthly fee.
5. Nestuge
Nestuge is a digital shop platform that helps you monetize your expertise by selling digital products, online courses, and event tickets. It’s an ideal free e-commerce app for digital entrepreneurs. The platform operates on a “pay-as-you-grow” model, giving you access to all its sales features for free until you exceed certain usage limits.
Key Features on a Free Account:
- Product Listings: List an unlimited number of products in your shop.
- Storage: 500MB of storage for your digital files.
- Automation: 500 automation runs with emails.
- Tip Jar: Accept tips from your supporters with the “SupportMe” feature.
6. Paystack Storefront
As one of Nigeria’s leading payment gateways, Paystack offers a feature-rich solution for creating an online store. The Paystack Storefront allows you to create an ecommerce website for free and sell products directly from your dashboard. It integrates with your payment account, making the entire process seamless.
Key Features on a Free Account:
- Zero Subscription Fees: It is completely free to create and use. You only pay standard transaction fees on successful sales.
- Unlimited Products: Upload and sell an unlimited number of products.
- Custom URLs: Customize your store’s URL to match your brand.
- Order Management: Manage incoming orders from your web and mobile app dashboards.
7. Flutterwave Store
Similar to Paystack, Flutterwave offers a free online store solution as part of its comprehensive financial services. This free shopping website builder allows you to set up a store in minutes and be listed on Flutterwave’s marketplace. It’s a great way to start a free e-commerce website and get visibility to a wider audience.
Key Features on a Free Account:
- Online Store: Create a branded online store without any setup or monthly fees.
- Payment Gateway: Seamlessly accept payments with Flutterwave’s robust payment gateway.
- Marketplace Listing: Get your products listed on the Flutterwave Marketplace for greater visibility.
- Order Management: Track and manage all your orders from a single dashboard.
8. Qshop
Qshop is a simple yet powerful platform for creating a free e-commerce website. It has a completely free forever plan that allows you to build a website and accept payments in minutes. The platform is designed to be user-friendly, with features like Instagram import and WhatsApp checkout to simplify the selling process.
Key Features on a Free Account:
- Product Limit: Add up to 15 products to your store.
- Shipping: One courier for automated shipping.
- Notifications: Email notifications for orders.
- Payment Providers: Multiple payment providers are available.
9. Squadco
Squadco, a product of HabariPay (a GTCO company), offers an e-commerce platform as part of its financial tools for small businesses. It’s a fantastic option for those who want to create a free e-commerce website and take advantage of seamless payment processing.
Key Features in a Free Plan
- Online Storefront: Create a free online store to display and sell your products.
- Product Management: Add unlimited physical and digital products, and manage variations like size and color.
- Customization: Personalize your storefront with your own logo and business name.
- Payment Links: Generate custom payment links for individual products to share on social media or other platforms.
- Order Management: View and update orders, and print invoices directly from your storefront.
- Multi-Platform Sales: Share product links across various social media channels to drive sales.
10. LumiBusiness
LumiBusiness provides an all-in-one solution for managing a business, and its storefront feature is a great way to build your own e-commerce website from scratch. The platform offers a free plan and provides tools for inventory, payments, and analytics. It’s designed to help businesses of all sizes to start selling in Nigeria with ease.
Key Features on a Free Account
- One user
- One storefront
- Unlimited products
- End-of-day report
- Orders are limited to 5 per month
Each of these platforms provides a great starting point for new or existing businesses. By leveraging any of these free online stores, you can manage your products and orders and accept payments seamlessly, all without any initial financial commitment.
The best choice depends on your specific business needs, so explore the features of these platforms to find the perfect fit to build your own e-commerce website and begin selling today.
Which of these platforms do you think will suit your business needs? Drop me a comment below.
