Kenyan Startup Enables WhatsApp Commerce in Africa

Kenyan conversational commerce startup Sukhiba Connect aims to power seamless buying and selling through WhatsApp as social commerce booms across Africa. The continent’s social commerce market is rapidly expanding as businesses leverage platforms like WhatsApp. However, limitations exist around digital payments and delivery, which is where Sukhiba comes in. The company has developed a B2B tool enabling companies to reach and transact with customers directly within WhatsApp. Sellers can manage orders, accept mobile payments, send notifications and group buyers without leaving the app. “We brought the ability to do the full transaction from conversation to purchase, payments and delivery on WhatsApp,” said Sukhiba co-founder and CEO Ananth Gudipati. So far, Sukhiba has enabled WhatsApp commerce for over 30 companies, largely manufacturers and distributors serving some 15,000 small and medium enterprises. These sellers use Sukhiba to help sales teams expand their reach and gain new retailers as customers. Features like customer routing assign reps to provide tailored support within WhatsApp based on location. Gudipati says this maintains vital personal relationships between buyers and sellers. Sukhiba essentially brings CRM capabilities to the messaging app. Companies can map views, monitor conversations and more to manage the sales process end-to-end. The startup operates in
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