From scrolls to sales

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Today, I’m taking you through how TikTok is shaking up sales for thrift stores in Nairobi.

But before we dive in, we’ve got some exciting Tech Safari Events coming up!🥳 

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Put me in a thrift store, and I’m in my happy place.

I’ve been thrifting with my mum since I was about 7.

Back then, it helped us save money since second-hand was much cheaper for a family of five.

Then as I got older, it became about finding furniture, clothes, and paintings you won’t see anywhere else.

In Nairobi, my go-to guy is Salim.

He runs a thrift shop on Lumumba Drive, a neighborhood in Nairobi. And he’s been running it for 12 years.

But when I dropped by his shop three weeks ago, I caught something I wasn’t expecting.

Salim had his phone set up in front of him, on top of a pile of fresh jeans.

He’d hold up each pair, and call out the price, running a live auction.

Next to him, his assistant was locked in on another phone.

Every time it dinged, Salim would glance over, grab a name, and casually announce, “Paid for by person X!”

They were live on TikTok.

And in the two hours I spent there, they sold 18 pairs of jeans and made 12,600 Ksh ($97.55).

Clean, quick cash.

Why businesses are having a field day on TikTok

Salim turned to TikTok eight months ago.

He started streaming a few times a week.

And he now has over 3000 followers and about 300 people tuning in when he goes live.

Today, its the main way he sells.

But TikTok isn’t the first platform Salim tried selling on.

Before that, he was on Facebook and Instagram, pulling in around 3,000 followers on each.

But nothing came close to TikTok when it came to driving sales.

What started as a place for dance videos and short entertainment clips is now Salim’s biggest money-maker. Much bigger than walk-ins.

So I had to ask — how did this happen?

1. Trust - the make or break of selling online

Salim tells me that the biggest hurdle between an online seller and their customer is mistrust.

And TikTok solves for that.

Normally, the online shopping experience goes like this:

• You find a product

• You contact the seller through their social media channels

• You pay for it

• Then you wait for it to show up at your door

For big e-commerce players like Jumia, this works.

They’ve built their rep over the years and linked payment methods like cards and mobile money, making sure sellers actually see their cash.

But social commerce is a different ball game.

It’s like e-commerce, but everything — from discovering new products to buying — happens directly on social media.

So instead of going to a website or a store, you can buy stuff directly on apps like Instagram, TikTok, or WhatsApp.

But is has a few problems.

Buyers are suspicious, and they wonder if what they see on a seller’s page is really what they’ll get.

But sellers aren’t exactly trusting either.

“Will the buyer pay when the goods arrive? Or will they ghost like most of them do?”

When Salim runs his weekly auctions, his customers can see him.

They know he’s real, and they know exactly what he looks like.

When they like a piece of clothing, they pay right away through M-Pesa, using the account number posted on Salim’s TikTok page.

But gaining customer trust is only half the battle. The other half is scaling it.

1. When the Algorithm is on your side

Making it big on social media is all about feeding the algorithm what it wants, and TikTok nails it.

For starters, its algorithm doesn’t care if you’ve got two followers or two million.

The For You Page (FYP) gives you content from all kinds of creators.

And it’s really good at figuring out what you’ll like, using things like how long you watch, what you like right away, and even what you keep rewatching.

If you like a video from one thrift store, TikTok’s algorithm quickly starts filling your timeline with similar store. Big and small.

“I blew up on TikTok just 6 months after starting, and that’s tough to do on other platforms that reward big followings.”

“It gives small sellers like me a real shot at moving more sales,” he says

@panthousee

cargo pants size 28-38 price 600/= #cargopants #cargo #momjeans #thriftshop #gikomba #capri #newstock #kenya #nairobi

And it got me thinking…

What if sellers like him could have real shops on TikTok?

Salim is one of 44 million small businesses in Africa. And going online can help them reach more customers and grow.

Last year, TikTok launched TikTok Shop in the US.

TikTok Shop lets you buy products directly from the app while watching videos or live streams.

If TikTok Shop launches in Africa, it could be a big win for businesses.

It would solve a lot of the headaches that come with online selling.

Things like:

• Linking multiple payment options

• Letting you see products in videos before buying

• And Showing the seller’s face and real reviews so you know they're legit

All these features mean small businesses can reach more people and sell faster.

And having in built tools with TikTok Shop ( like payments and logistics) will put this on steroids

It’s a huge opportunity for growth, especially across Africa where social commerce is big - and people buy from people they follow and trust

If TikTok nails it, they have a huge opportunity here.

Salim’s business has taken off since he went online.

And now, even when he has low sales in the store, TikTok is still bringing in sales.

Where else have you seen social commerce in action in Africa?

Hit reply and let me know.

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