Retail and Ecommerce Relaunch with M-PESA Checkout

The problem

The retailer had an outdated, desktop-leaning website with a confusing path from product page to payment. Mobile customers were dropping off mid-checkout, and the team spent hours each day answering payment questions on WhatsApp. M-PESA was supported only by manual reconciliation against till statements.

How we approached it

1. 1Mapped the actual phone-first buying journey, not the assumed one
2. 2Audited where customers were dropping off and what payment questions came up most often
3. 3Designed product pages, checkout, and order updates around a sub-3-second mobile experience
4. 4Wired M-PESA STK push directly into checkout, with order updates over WhatsApp and SMS

What we built

• Mobile-first storefront with clear product discovery and category navigation
• Checkout with M-PESA STK push, card fallback, and clear order status states
• WhatsApp and SMS notifications for order confirmation, shipping, and follow-up
• Lightweight admin for the team to manage products, promotions, and order state
• Analytics, search console, and performance budgets in place from day one

The outcome

A faster, clearer storefront that explains the offer quickly and makes paying simple. The team spends less time on payment support and gets a daily view of where orders are in fulfilment. The retailer can now run promotions and respond to demand without rebuilding the site.