The internet is a powerful tool that connects businesses to people. It’s a channel that lets you reach anyone from anywhere in the world. Leveraging this tool to create an online business is one of the best decisions you can make. Many people have already taken advantage of it and are reaping many benefits. However, to start and run a successful online business in Kenya, you will still need to connect the right customers with the right offering.
This means that you have to research the right online business ideas in Kenya that brings a decent amount of income on the table.
For many entrepreneurs in Kenya, running an online business offers the promise of financial security and independence. However, there are numerous online business opportunities in Kenya, and it is easy to get lost on what to venture into.
To help you with the process of starting your own business and gain the flexibility and freedom that comes with it, we have compiled this list of 25 online business ideas in Kenya that you can start in 2024.
Table of Contents
1. Online Grocery & Food Delivery like Zucchini.co.ke
The grocery shopping and delivery business in Kenya has grown tremendously over the past few years. More customers order their weekly and daily grocery shopping online, giving a promise to the business’s success. Before starting this kind of business, it’s vital to consider all your options and needs to ensure the success of the company. Conduct market research and analyze your competitors. Check the existing businesses and try to curve your own niche market. For example, if the majority of your competitors deliver grocery foods from local stores, try and get farm-fresh foods from the farmers’ market.
When starting an online grocery and food delivery, you have many options to conduct your business. You can contract with a local store to deliver customer orders for a fee. The store will market the service and bill the customer while you do the work. You can also sign an account with a grocery wholesaler where the customer will give you their orders, place them with the wholesaler, and then sell the products at a profit.
The other option is where the customer contacts you with their shopping list, then go for shopping at the store on their behalf. You can also deliver restaurant meals for eateries that don’t offer such services.
You will need a way to get customers’ orders about what they want and when they want it. SMS, WhatsApp, or email requests may be enough when starting out. But as you grow, you may need a website for customers to make orders from. You may consider hiring a Website Specialist to get you started with a Grocery Website.

When making deliveries for groceries and food, you need to ensure that you remain profitable. The best way to do this is to set a minimum amount per delivery, say Ksh. 2000, and work on a weekly or biweekly delivery schedule. However, more flexibility will give you a competitive edge. You will also need to consider the actual time you will take to deliver the products. Delivering hot or frozen foods promptly will need a car or motorcycle in good condition or with proper coolers. You also need to consider working around traffic or road construction areas to avoid delays.
2. Baby & Kids Products Store like Motherbabyshop.co.ke
A baby and kids products store sells children’s clothes, furniture, food, toys, and other accessories for young children and their families. You may choose to sell affordable items targeted at most families or unique designs and products with a higher price tag.
Whatever model of business you choose, you must plan carefully. For your online store to prosper in this area, you need to think “long term.” This means that your branding should be proper and intentional. Ensure that your name is memorable and it is something that parents can identify with. It is good to start from a niche to help you stand out from the noise. Selling kids’ products is a niche that is evergreen, oversaturated, and trending all the time.
The best way to set up a successful business selling baby and kid’s products and keep up with the trends is to ensure that you create videos and blog posts that promote your business. You can use social media like Facebook and Instagram to advertise your products.
Focusing on a specific niche ensures that you are the go-to person for such products. Conduct market research to ensure that the products you intend to sell will have customers. You can do this through Facebook groups, Facebook marketplaces and see what products sell and why.
Ensure that whatever you are selling is filling a need. Some of the products you can sell include:
Baby Clothing
Baby clothing is one of the most lucrative segments you can venture into. Babies tend to grow faster over a short time; therefore, there’s a frequent need to buy new clothes.
This is the key reason why huge volumes of clothes are purchased every year. The kids’ fashion trends are also fast-changing, making parents demand new clothes frequently. With this niche, you can rarely go wrong.
Baby foods and Formulas
Feeding a baby is one of the primary and most essential things any family does after a baby is born. You will be surprised at how much a family can spend to feed one child. Today, baby foods and infant formulas quickly supplement or totally replace breast milk.
Baby food is any soft and easily consumed food explicitly made for babies of six months to two years. It is not intended to look like or replace breast milk like in the case of baby formula. On the other hand, baby formula is a manufactured food for babies and infants under the age of 12 months. It looks and tastes like breast milk and can substitute it.
Due to the delicate hygiene required to produce these foods, most people prefer imported brands. Therefore, consider this when stocking them.
Baby Diapers
Baby diapers come in two forms, reusable cloth diapers, and synthetic disposable diapers. Diapers need to be changed regularly to avoid skin issues like a diaper rash when they get soiled.
These changes can happen up to five per day, necessitating the need for a large stock of diapers. Most parents prefer disposable diapers, as there is no need for washing. This means that their demand is very high, and once you stock the brands that most people prefer (you will discover this during market research!), you will be on your way to making huge profits.
Baby Body Care Products
The baby’s skin and body are very sensitive and delicate because their immune system is not fully developed. They need the mildest cleansers, lotions, and detergents for washing their clothes. These products need to be fragrance-free, dye-free, and should not contain any strong chemicals which may affect their skin or breathing.
Please do your research to stock the best products that parents will be comfortable using o their babies’ bodies. Some of these products include baby powder, laundry detergent, baby wipes, soaps, petroleum jelly, baby lotion, and shampoos.
3. Sell Gift Items Online like Purpink.co.ke
Selling gift items is one of the most highly lucrative online businesses you can start. This is primarily during festive seasons and occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
Some of the gifts you can sell include greeting cards, hand-made jewelry, unique surprise gifts, postcards, art and craft, and more.
You will need to set up a website and display attractive pictures of the gifts you are selling.
4. Mobile Accessories Online Store like mobilehub.co.ke
A mobile phone accessories store can be pretty profitable and highly competitive. Mobile phones have now become a basic need in today’s world; hence their usage has increased drastically. This means that the demand for their accessories will only continue to grow.
Mobile phones need lots of accessories to help them function, increase their efficiency and protect them. This has opened a significant business opportunity which you should take advantage of.
Mobile phone accessories can include cases/covers, earphones, phone camera lenses, selfie stick, and tripod. You can also stock Bluetooth speakers, power banks, car charging bricks, mobile screen tempered glass, and smart flash. Other accessories include portable phone chargers, batteries and chargers, mobile screen lamination, and HDMI cable. These products will ensure that you never go out of business with the proper marketing.
When venturing into this business, the first thing is to analyze the market to see what is already on offer and which accessories move fast and which ones bring in better profits. Check to see if you can carve a niche for yourself and add value to attract more clients. Once you decide on what to stock, look for a supplier who will give you goods in wholesale.
Your supplier should be able to deliver high-quality goods on time. You can choose to work with local suppliers or international suppliers. However, getting goods directly from the manufacturers will ensure that you get them at a lower price, hence bugger profit margins.
If you’re interested in importing Mobile Accessories from China, Get my 60-page book that explains it all in detail.
You will need to display your products online, so ensure that you have a website that will clearly display what you are selling. Remember to let people know what you are selling by putting it in front of them. Social platforms are a great way to do just that. People have become dependent on social media to make purchasing decisions, especially if your business has positive reviews. You can also use Google Ad Words to promote your business.
5. Build an Online Pharmacy Marketplace like MyDawa.com
Did you know that more than $370 billion is spent on prescription drugs each year? This figure is expected to grow by 14.2% by 2024. An online pharmacy marketplace allows multiple pharmacists to sell their products under one storefront. It provides different products from various sellers at different rates to let customers choose products according to their preferences.
An online pharmacist business does not need a doctor or pharmacist, but it needs employees with qualified and licensed professionals. The clients also feel secure ordering online since there is complete privacy. They order from their home and get the drugs delivered or use an order number to collect them. There is also contactless ordering and less waiting time. Customers can compare prices and pick the best price, and they get better choices of drugs.
You will need to choose an ecommerce platform to set up your online pharmacy marketplace. Once your website is up and running, contact different pharmacists to list their products on your website to offer customers various options to choose from. Let people know of the existence of your online pharmacy marketplace by advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and all other social media channels.
6. Sell Home & Kitchen Accessories Store like Vituzote.com
Home and cooking accessories store sells items related to cooking and the home in general.
These items may include dishes, silverware, cookware, bakeware, tableware like glasses and mugs, storage items like containers, thermos, and water bottles, kitchen appliances like food processors, microwaves, and grinders.
Promote your kitchen store through social media as well as your website. Display attractive photos of your products and price them reasonably.
7. Body Improvement Products Store
Consumers are becoming more health-conscious, and starting a business to cater to these increasing needs will see you make great sales.
In this area, you can sell bodybuilding products, vitamins, workout accessories, beauty products, weight loss products, products to boost immunity, among others.
The first thing you need to do is research the market and identify the trends. You can do this using Google Tends, research through Facebook and other social media channels, or ask around. Once you establish the best products you are interested in and that sell quickly with good returns, it’s time to set up your online store.
Choose an ecommerce platform such as Shopify or Woo commerce and create your website. Include clear and attractive pictures of your products and make descriptions letting your consumers know how they stand to benefit from using your products.
Choosing a good supplier will help you succeed in this business. A wholesaler with significant selling margins will help you reap big. Ensure that the supplier you choose has an excellent selection of products and can deliver promptly. If you have decided to sell health products, get the necessary licensing from the county council.
If you want to drive traffic to your website and make sales, you need to promote your store. You can do this by creating ads on Facebook or Google ads. Google lets you create a list of relevant keywords that will target your ad. Facebook allows you to target social media users based on their likes, interests, demographics, and behaviors.
Another way to promote your body improvement products store is by creating a blog. Blogging helps create engaging content which will inform and educate consumers. Be sure to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on your blog. This is crucial in helping you drive traffic to your online store by getting higher rankings on the search results.
8. Import & Sell Trending Products in Jumia
Jumia is Kenya’s largest online shopping destination where you will get a wide selection of items such as electronics, home, and living appliances, fashion, kids’ wear, and more delivered at your doorstep or office for convenience.
Jumia offers its customers free nationwide delivery and free returns. It also provides several payment options to choose from, including debit/credit cards or cash on delivery.
To qualify as a vendor to sell on Jumia, you must only sell genuine and new products. Fake and used products are not accepted. You must agree to maintain a price parity and have a customer rating of not less than three stars. You must also be ready to grant Jumia access to your products and branding materials for product promotion. They also require somebody to invest in or carry out promotion campaigns for their products. You should also maintain a quality return rate of less than 2%.
Once you meet all these requirements, you can now proceed and register as a Jumia vendor. To do this, log in to the Jumia Marketplace website, then under “Make Money with Jumia,” select “Sell on Jumia.” Fill the registration form that appears with the requested details, then submit. After they review your form and accept you, you can now start selling. They also offer training to teach the basics of selling your products on Jumia.
You can now start importing your products to sell on Jumia.
China is the most preferable, and you can import products from the comfort of your home without paying for a flight ticket or even worrying about KRA tax stuff.
If you’re interested in importing goods from China, I have a 60-page book that explains it all in detail.
9. Start an Online Pet Supplies Store like Petsasa
The best and low-risk way to launch your online pet supplies store is to start small. This will give you a chance to see how your products will be received and to familiarize yourself with the world of online sales. Once you are comfortable, you can now jump in. Choose any ecommerce site of your choice and create a website where you will display and sell your products. Petsasa is an excellent example of a successful online pet supplies store. You can visit them and get an idea of how to set up your store.
Research is always the first thing when starting any business. Conduct research to find out what’s trending, what people like for their pets, which pet food sells fast, and which one has excellent profit margins. Research your competition to understand what they are selling and how much they are selling it so that you can successfully compete with them for customers. This research will also help you establish things like what brand of kitty litter is best, what type of fish food major retailers offer, and so on.
Once you establish the products to sell, find suppliers for your online pet supplies store. It is a good idea to get more than one supplier so that you don’t find yourself with a shortage once one of them runs out of a product or goes out of business.
Some of the essential pet supplies that you can sell include animal feed (dry and frozen), food bowls, leashes, toys for pets, houses, cages, houses, pet apparel, beds, litter boxes, fish bowls, aquariums, collars, combs, and everything for walking.
Remember to promote your online pet store through advertisement. You can do this through social media, word of mouth, or place Google Ads to generate traffic to your website.
10. Sell Bakery Products Online like CakeCity.co.ke
Baked goods are a significant source of breakfast in many Kenyan families. In fact, most events and ceremonies like weddings, birthdays, and graduations cannot be great without a cake. This makes it a lucrative venture. If you target this area and start an online store to sell bakery products, you can enjoy high-profit margins and have fun while at it.
There is a wide range of baked products to choose from. You can decide to go for cakes and cupcakes, bread and confectionery, and so on.
Once you decide on what to sell, create recipes and try them out until you are sure of their outcome. Make a menu where your customers will be choosing what to order. Include the prices and the combination of flavors if it is applicable. Create a website where you will display samples of your cakes. Ensure that you take attractive photos of your baked products and include the ingredients in your description. This will give your customers an easy time choosing what they want to order.
Unless people know that your online bakery exists, they won’t order from you. Therefore, promote your business to your potential clients. You can do this through Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. You can also create a blog where you will talk about different types of products and how to prepare them. This will lead customers back to your website, where they’ll see what you offer and perhaps make a purchase.
Let your potential customers know that you can deliver. Decide if you will deliver for free, bear the cost, or charge a delivery fee. This mostly depends on the location of the clients. If they are too far, decide on a central and convenient location to pick the goods.
11. Start an Online Bookselling Business like Rafubooks.com
The book industry remains solidly successful in the face of enormous competition. Although the definite advantage of a physical book store is that it lets the customers feel the books all by themselves, an online store can increase sales.
You can sell your own books if you are an author or sell other people’s books. You can decide to sell all kinds of books, from novels to academic texts to biographies and motivational books. Or you can choose a smaller niche like children’s books only or Christian literature only. This calls for proper market research to establish what is profitable and what sells.
Thorough research is crucial before jumping into the business. Study the markets in your area that deal with online and retail books and determine how to create a competitive advantage. Discover the niches that are not tapped and capitalize on them to create a unique business model.
The best way to ensure that you make a sale when selling books is to keep customers on your site as long as possible. This will increase their chances of actually buying. Therefore, take your time and invest in a well-designed and professional website. Ensure that your payment and delivery options are clear and straightforward. Display awesome and clear images of the book covers of all the books available and give a description of each.
Now it’s time to let your customers know that you exist. Again, you can do this through social media content and ads. Post any interesting book-related facts and ask for comments. The other best way to market your book store business is by capturing your customers’ names and email addresses so that you can customize the emails you send to them. This way, you will keep them updated on any special offers or new books that you have.
12. Build a Profitable Electronics Store like Saruk.co.ke
If you like gadgets or find yourself trying out trending electronics, then you can turn your passion into a business. You can start an online electronics store and make good money.
More and more people are turning online for their electronics purchases. It offers a wide selection and the convenience of not having to move from shop to shop to compare prices and quality. There is also an improvement in the payments option and an option for returning if the customer didn’t like what was delivered.
The ecommerce sector is thriving, and the electronics business is doing well in Kenya. Once you decide to get into this business, first look for a distribution channel. The best way to get started is to contact a wholesale electronics provider. Wholesalers get their products from different reliable sources and sell them to other businesses. This means that these suppliers will sell you name-brand consumer electronics.
To determine the kind of wholesalers to conduct, you need to pick your niche. This will help you carve a niche for yourself as a seller of those particular products. It will also help you advertise your website better. You can choose to sell computers and their accessories only, or phones and their accessories, and so on.
You can now build your online storefront to display your products and allow customers to make orders and payments. Include clear images of your products and incorporate precise details of each product.
Your website should include useful features to give your clients the details they are looking for and increase your chances of making sales. Taking care of your clients will ensure continued business, therefore, provide top-class customer service and engagement. Product videos are a great way of doing this. Video reviews comprehensively demonstrate a product and show the product in use. This will help your clients in making decisions. Include a wish list on your website where a user can save particular products and start purchasing them later. Your website should include a sorting and filtering option to help your clients define the criteria for looking for a device. This will save them time while they are on your website. Sometimes, people make an impromptu decision to make a purchase. Provide a Guest Checkout option where they will not need to go through the procedure of creating an account.
13. Sell eBooks Online
EBooks are books that are delivered or downloaded online. You can sell eBooks that you’ve written yourself, employ writers to write, use public domain content or create your eBooks from many sources. Your eBooks can cover any topic just like what a traditional publisher can cover, and you can tailor them to a niche market. You can sell travel guides, romance books, how-to manuals, mystery, technology, science fiction, religion, self-help, etc.
The best thing about selling eBooks is that you are in complete control of the entire process of producing and selling them. You don’t need to depend on an editor or publisher to tell you whether your book will be published. You will also not rely on a bookstore to put your book on their shelves.
Selling eBooks online is pretty simple. All you need is to set up a website and make a PDF available for downloads. You can include a simple shopping cart or M-pesa payment option, and you are ready to go. The customer will visit your site, order your eBook, and get a download link.
Here’s an example of an eBook am currently selling,
You can also sell eBooks through a third party like Amazon. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing has a broad reach and will help you accelerate your sales. You will need to sign up then upload your ebook to start on Kindle. They will convert it to their proprietary format then start selling. You can sell your ebooks through both methods to maximize your returns.
You can promote your eBooks through email marketing. Every time a customer makes a purchase, capture their name and email address to help you create an email list. You can send them emails about new books on the topic of their interest. Also, remember that social media is the most powerful tool for connecting with people; therefore, consider marketing your eBook here.
14. Start an Online Marketplace like Jumia or Skygarden
An online marketplace connects sellers with consumers and provides logistics services that enable the shipment and delivery of goods to buyers. It also offers a payment service that facilitates transactions among participants active in the shopping cycle.
An online marketplace, such as Jumia, allows a large group of sellers to offer goods in a wide range of categories like apparel, smartphones, home and living, beauty and cosmetics, electronics, and more. A marketplace can also provide services such as food delivery from restaurants, classified advertising, hotel and flight booking, etc.
To start an online marketplace, it is advisable to use popular tools like WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, etc. They will help you set up an online marketplace without prior knowledge of website development. You will need to register a domain name and choose hosting services for your website. Get a secured payment gateway to make checkout flow for customers easy. You can also include Mpesa as a payment option.
You will need to set up an inventory/stock management system for your online marketplace since you will be handling numerous products from numerous industries. This will help you keep proper inventory records to know when to add stock and which one.
15. Launch an Online Liquor & Wine Delivery Business
The liquor and wine industry is undoubtedly very lucrative and one which has not yet been fully discovered. However, it is a susceptible business, and you can quickly find yourself brushing shoulders with the law. Therefore, the first thing to do when going into this business is to make sure that it is legal. Familiarize yourself with the laws of Kenya that pertain to alcohol. For example, you should never sell alcohol to persons under 18 years, so always ensure that they provide an ID for age verification.
The liquor customer wants a website where they can register, place an order, make payment, and receive the order. This means that the seller should make it as simple as that. When creating a website for alcohol delivery, ensure that the customer can browse through the product catalog or menu and add the selected items to a cart. The customer should then place the order and make payment through their preferred method.
The liquor and wine delivery business has two delivery methods: the Home Delivery model and Click and Collect model.
In the Click and Collect model, the consumer can order the product online then collect it from an offline store. The Home Delivery model is where the consumer orders the product online then have it delivered to their home or office.
You can create an app to sell liquor or a simple website. You can promote your business by offering your consumers premium memberships, coupons, discounts, and advantages. You can also send personalized recommendations via email or messaging. Promoting products information is an excellent way of inviting customers to your store. You will educate them about liquor and wine through blog posts and encourage them to purchase.
An excellent example of a successful online liquor and wine store is Dial-a-Drink. They promise to deliver your drinks within 45 minutes of order, and they have managed to do that. They have a wide clientele base and have been able to deliver drinks within Nairobi and its environs.
16. Start a Print on Demand Business Online like thecardguys.co.ke
A print-on-demand business is easy to start because all you need is the creativity of some sort and planning. It also requires very little investment and does not require you to hold inventory and ship orders.
All that you require is to make a design, put it into a product, and then start selling. When running a print-on-demand website, you can make as much money as you want, provided you do it right.
So how do you start a print-on-demand business online?
The first thing is to determine what to sell. You can sell T-shirts, leisurewear, streetwear, mugs, blankets, phone cases, etc. however, ensure that your products are acceptable under market places’ terms and conditions.
Determine your niche, which can be around anything like a profession, specific animal, fictional character, or around anything trending. When you define a niche, you will get customers who are more likely to purchase your products because you will tailor your designs around their behaviors and interests.
Make a design or buy art to sell on your products. Unlike other businesses with ready products to sell and deliver to their customers, the print-on-demand business requires creating designs that you will print on customers’ commodities. You can get ideas from existing and popular designs. You can also get them from online marketplaces like Etsy, where hand and tailor-made designs will be found. When finding designs, always keep your target customers in mind.
You can sell your print-on-demand products on marketplaces like Jumia or create your own ecommerce store.
Pros of creating your own store
- You can design the store you want, build a strong brand presence, and offer a unique shopping experience to your customers.
- You have control over your store’s visitors. You can find out your target customers through analytics tools and collect email addresses for targeted advertising.
- You can determine your own prices, set up cross-sell and upsell and get repeat purchases through email marketing.
- You can integrate 3rd party tools through email integration to increase conversions.
Cons of creating your own store
- Traffic to your website may be slow, so you will need to do a lot of marketing to promote your store.
- It is more difficult to build your customer base since you are starting from scratch.
- Paying for extra ads and add-ons may make it costly.
Pros of using Marketplaces
- It is easy and quick to set up your store since all you need is to create an account on these websites.
- There is an excellent source of traffic.
- You can follow trends on these marketplaces
- The technical things like the checkout process and payment methods have been handled for you.
- They already have authority in their area, so it’s good if you are new to the market.
Cons of using Marketplaces
- There are rules that you must comply with and terms and conditions to observe.
- There are fees like monthly subscriptions and transactions fees, so you have less profit.
- You have less control over your store and customers.
17. Teach an Online Course and sell it on Zydii.com
One of the new online business concepts when it comes to education, you can create virtual courses to sell online. Teaching an online course is a low-investment business idea for generating passive income.
All you need to do is put together a video walkthrough explaining a subject you’re familiar with and then host it on your own website. Although it requires effort upfront, if you manage to design a popular, high-value video tutorial series, you would make money on an ongoing basis as people continue to enroll in your course.
To start creating your first online course, brainstorm a topic you know well enough to teach someone how to do it from scratch. This can be literally anything—music production, social media marketing, web development, you name it.
Next, you’ll want to grab a screencasting app, like ScreenFlow, to record your screen and voice while you walk your students through your tutorial. ScreenFlow also comes with a built-in video-editing suite, letting you shoot and cut your videos all on the same platform.
Why teach an online course?
With an online course, you can literally set it and forget it. Depending on the complexity you’re aiming for, take a few days or weeks to build an online course, and you could be reaping the benefits for weeks.
You already have the knowledge, and you just need to share it. Focus on teaching something that you’re already an expert at, and the rest will come naturally, whether it’s building websites, creating monthly budgets, or running Facebook ad campaigns.
Teaching someone a new skill is its own reward. While there’s definitely money to be made teaching online courses, helping other people is always a satisfying experience in itself.
18. Start a Blog
Creating a blog nowadays is easy with free online tools like WordPress. All you need to do is pick a theme that suits your style and needs and start writing. You can then monetize your blog and turn it into a source of income. To begin creating a blog, pick a general topic area that you will be focusing on. This is the niche. It can be anything like fashion, food, lifestyle, technology, travel, etc. Pick a name that best describes what you will be blogging about, then register the domain name. The domain name is your address on the internet.
Get your blog online by hosting it through hosting providers like Hostpoa, Truehost, KenyaWebExperts, among others. This is where your website lives on the internet. They determine the availability of your blog to readers when they search the internet. Once your blog is up and running, it’s time to create content. The content you put in your blog will determine how well it will rank and the size of your traffic, the major factors that will lead to the monetization of your blog. Consider best SEO practices when creating your content. This includes particular keywords and phrases that increase the chances of your website being found.
You can monetize your blog through display Ads, affiliate marketing, selling ebooks, selling courses, or offering members-only content.
19. Build an Online News Site like Tuko.co.ke
News sites could be one of the best ways to generate traffic online these days. People visit articles and news every day, every hour, and every minute just to be updated on the latest news in town. No one wants to be known as the “last” person to get to know viral news.
Thus, here is the opportunity to benefit from the traffic generated from Google Adsense and other advertisement agents. For example, Kenyans.co.ke is one of Kenya’s most engaging digital lifestyle publications. They have amassed numerous monthly readers over the years.
Another example would be Tuko, which set out on a mission to get young Kenyans to read the news again. Today, Tuko is Kenya’s fastest-growing news site with millions of page views monthly and followers.
Pros: Writing updated news could be gratifying and enjoyable. Being able to know that you are the one to know the news before everybody makes you proud of it. Generate traffic from an online news site is not hard, as all you need to do is take the lead, get to know the latest authentic information, and write it out. And, of course, as you know, traffic + advertisements = income.
Cons: Being ahead of all the existing news sites in Kenya is not easy. You might need a team of active reporters and “spy” to achieve that. On the other side, you also need to have good writing skills. This will allow you to turn a piece of boring news into an interesting one. The other thing to be alert of would be getting permission from the company/organization/person before releasing any critical information, and this process could take some time.
20. Provide Graphics Design Services like Creative Kigen
If you have talent in arts and design, this is probably a piece of the pie for you. Why not start putting your talent into play by offering graphic design services online, and they might earn you some pennies? These online services include web design, logo design, and business cards design.
This business will probably grow in the upcoming years. While hundreds of businesses in Kenya are trying to emerge and go online, many of them will start to look for freelance or professional designers to brand their products and company.
Pros: Relatively easy if you have the design skillsets and some basic software.
Cons: Your client might be asking for more revisions than you ever expect (art is a subjective topic).
21. Build an Online Job Portal like BrighterMonday
Just like Brighter Monday, one of Kenya’s leading online employment marketplaces, they help facilitate the matching and communication of job opportunities between job seekers and employers in the region.
You can earn money by providing job advertising options, premium job listing options, or even resume/talent search functionality to employers.
For example, a package of “1 Entry level Job Ad” in BrighterMonday costs Ksh. 4000. If you get employers to advertise their jobs through your website, you will be making good money per client.
Pros: People are looking for jobs every single day, so the demand is there for sure. On the other side, companies looking for urgent employees are willing to pay in order to reach great candidates.
Cons: Data security is the main part of this business as people are submitting their resumes and personal particulars to you. Prevent hackers!
22. Become a Website & Social Content Writer
Content marketing is a quickly growing field. With that growth comes opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded writers. Content on the web takes a variety of forms: blog posts, social media posts, video and audio recordings, web pages, and more.
Most business owners have a website that is poorly maintained (or not updated) due to the fact that they are super busy with their own business. Thus, anyone with good content writing skills could help in this circumstance.
And I am a perfect example; with my busy schedule of designing for clients, I rarely get the time to write and opt to hire the very talented writer, Doreen, of Digitec. She has written most of my blog content and managed to rank them on the first page in Google search results. She is also very knowledgeable when it comes to SEO and will help you drive traffic to your website. You can reach her on 0725592940.
Did you notice that most corporate companies like Safaricom and KCB constantly have updated content on their Facebook Page (new post almost every day)? Thanks to the frequently posted content, their customers will stay updated with the latest promotions and information (at least they can feel the business’s presence and thus gain more trust from it).
Pros: Keep trying out different content writing styles to meet a specific marketing objective is an exciting job. Having people virally sharing your piece of art (content) is so satisfying.
Cons: To be a successful content writer, you need to have a good research ability, new and creative content creation, stay up-to-date, and of course, have a solid grip on grammar.
23. Sell Beauty & Cosmetics Products Online like BeautyHub Kenya
Let’s face it, everyone wants to look good on the ‘Gram.
The rise of online shopping and uptake of social makes it an excellent time to be in the online beauty business in Kenya. There’s been an increase in demand for new skincare, hair care, and makeup products in recent years. If you target these areas and start an online business, you could easily make KES 5000 and above in a day. BeautyHub Kenya is one of the most successful beauty and cosmetic dealers in Kenya.
To move cosmetic and beauty products fast, you need to have social pages, like Facebook and Instagram that have high traffic, especially ladies. You also need a website where you display your products and show the relevance and credibility of your business.
Partner with cosmetic wholesalers and retailers to ensure that you have enough stock to serve your demand. To gain trust from these wholesalers, assure that you can move their products fast. Some of them are paid monthly while others are paid weekly, so choose wisely.
You can stock items such as lotions, conditioners, relaxers, scrubs, quality hair extensions, Makeup and skincare products, beauty accessories, deodorant sprays, etc.
To succeed in your beauty and cosmetics business:
- Sell variety and be available to receive orders and process them within the said operating hours.
- Buy affordable cosmetics from wholesalers and sell them reasonably to clients.
- Remember to blog about your business to get targeted traffic to your business website.
24. Sell Stock Photos Online
If you are a photographer or like taking photos for fun, then you can turn your passion into an income stream. Pick your best photos and sell them to microstock websites and earn money. These sites include Shutterstock, iStockphoto, Pexels, unsplash, among other.
Once you get approved to contribute to these sites, you will not be charged to upload photos, but the site may take a percentage of each sale. The best thing is that there are no expiry dates for stock photos so you can earn a passive income from photos you took years ago. Ensure that your photos have the best quality to attract more downloads.
25. Start an Online Shoe Store Business like Backyard Shoes
There is significant growth in the global footwear market, making an online shoe store business promising. The main challenge in starting this business in Kenya is the return rate, estimated to be about 35%. Therefore, when getting started, put in place a solid strategy that will work right from when the customer is choosing the shoes to the delivery. Backyard Shoes have created this kind of business and has succeeded.
You can sell shoes for men, women, children, sports shoes, boots, etc. You can decide to stock all types of shoes or choose a few. You can also decide to narrow your focus to markets like leather shoes, sneakers, and so on. Offering customizable shoes will help you stand out from the competition. You can include different colors, pictures, text, etc., on the shoes to attract more customers.
Make the pricing right to attract more sales. High prices may put off customers, yet low prices are not always ideal. You can use the price your manufacturer recommends or use your competitor pricing to benchmark and price your products.
When creating a website for your shoe store, ensure that it is user-friendly and give customers an incredible experience. Include excellent videos and photos that demonstrate your products from all angles.
Final thoughts on Best Online Business Ideas in Kenya
There you have it. With these businesses, you can succeed in the online world and make significant profits. Think of the one that interests you, have passion about, and you think you can sustain, then give it a try.