Small businesses list WhatsApp as top sales & marketing tool: Survey

Small and medium enterprises have listed Whatsapp as their top marketing and sales channel this year.

This is according to a new survey by SME Consultancy Viffa Consult which examined the utility of e-commerce among small businesses in the country.

Other top channels quoted include walk in customers, Instagram, third party e-commerce platforms such as Jumia and Facebook.

According to the survey, Facebook and WhatsApp channels often sell through open and closed groups.

The survey further ranks social media as the second most used customer acquisition model so far this year, behind only referrals.

Other top customer acquisition methods include walk in customers, government backed trade fairs, private sector lobbies and third party websites.

59 per cent of customers to the SMEs involved in SMEs covers individuals with private companies and government representing an equal 12 per cent share of the small businesses customers.

Despite the growing influence and use of e-commerce channels for buying and selling, businesses have sighted barriers to the adoption including lack of cost effective delivery, lack of finance and lack of fit with target customers.

Other barriers sighted include the lack of technical skills and IT knowledge and the inability to cost-benefits of adopting to e-commerce.