Why Africa Had No Shoppable Video Platform—Until Now

Shoppable video is rewriting the rules of e-commerce across the globe. In places like the U.S. and Southeast Asia, consumers tap on a product while watching a video, complete checkout instantly, and receive their orders in just days. It’s impulse-driven, creator-powered, and growing at lightning speed. But until recently, Africa had been left out entirely.

TikTok? No product tagging or native checkout in Nigeria. Facebook and Instagram? No integrated shopping layer—only external links or DM-to-buy workarounds.

Despite Africa’s massive mobile-first user base and a booming informal commerce ecosystem, no major platform offered true, in-video purchasing capabilities—forcing sellers to cobble together a chaotic mix of apps: TikTok for attention, WhatsApp for sales, Paystack for payment, and separate services for delivery.

That messy, inefficient funnel has made scaling social commerce in Africa nearly impossible.

The Global Rise of Shoppable Video

Shoppable video is exploding. In Southeast Asia, TikTok Shop crossed $6 billion in GMV in 2023 (TechCrunch). In the U.S., 35% of Gen Z consumers have purchased directly from a video, according to McKinsey.

Even Shopify and YouTube have integrated shoppable experiences—embedding product checkout inside video content to capture intent in the moment.

The global live commerce industry is projected to surpass $600 billion by 2027 (Statista). From Douyin in China to Flipkart Live in India, buyers are being trained to shop by watching.

And yet, until now, Africa had zero native access to this infrastructure.

Why Social Platforms Skipped the Continent

There’s a clear pattern: infrastructure, payments, and perceived complexity kept big platforms out.

1. Broken Payment Systems

Shoppable tools rely on integrated payment rails like Stripe or PayPal. But in markets like Nigeria, bank transfers and mobile wallets dominate, and refund processes are patchy at best. There’s no continent-wide system for protected payments. That made it too risky for TikTok, Meta, or YouTube to offer native checkout in Africa.

2. No Integrated Logistics

TikTok Shop succeeds in SEA because it partners with J&T Express and Shopee fulfillment. There’s no equivalent in Africa. Most sellers deliver through Gokada, dispatch riders, or personal drop-offs—none of which integrate with global platforms.

3. Profitability Assumptions

Global companies tend to prioritize high AOV and ARPU markets. African e-commerce often revolves around ₦5,000–₦15,000 products, informal selling, and trust-based transactions. That doesn’t fit the Western tech monetization model—so they deprioritize us.

4. No Seller Education Infrastructure

Platforms like TikTok Shop require sellers to manage inventory, upload SKUs, and tag products in real time. In Africa, most sellers operate via WhatsApp, with no CRMs or formal systems. Supporting them would require massive investment in onboarding, training, and cultural localization. That never came.

Why This Gap Hurt More Than People Realized

Africa is not small. With over 500 million mobile internet users, the world’s youngest population, and a booming creative economy, the continent was poised to dominate shoppable video—if only the tools existed.

Yet, every day, African creators go viral on TikTok. Every day, sellers post product videos on Instagram. But instead of converting views into sales inside the app, they redirect buyers to DMs, Excel sheets, and manual transfers.

It’s a conversion killer.

Buyers drop off. Sellers get overwhelmed. Creators can’t monetize.

And all because platforms refused to meet the continent where it is.

Enter Auqli—Africa’s First True Shoppable Video Platform

That all changes now.

Auqli is the continent’s first live shopping platform built from the ground up for African sellers, creators, and buyers. It’s not a social app trying to add commerce—it’s a commerce platform designed around the way Africa actually sells.

Here’s what makes it different:

• Streamlined live video selling, built into the mobile app
• In-video product tagging so viewers can tap and purchase in real time
• Checkout in naira via Paystack, Flutterwave, and mobile money
• Seller-led delivery, no warehouses required
• Cultural fit, with seller training in pidgin, plain English, and local relevance

No DMs. No copy-pasting bank details. No juggling five tools.

Just one powerful app where you can go live, show your product, and close the sale instantly.

Why Auqli Isn’t a Copy—It’s a Cultural Upgrade

Where global platforms tried to export their model into Africa, Auqli started local:

• Built to support market-style selling (demo + haggle + instant buy)
• Supports sellers with no formal tech background
• Trust tools like seller ratings, community chat, and video intros replace complex APIs
• Works with the real economic rhythm of African commerce

Auqli isn’t just launching shoppable video in Africa. It’s redefining what that should look like.

Final Thoughts

Africa finally has a shoppable video platform. Not a workaround. Not a patchwork. A real, end-to-end loop designed to convert views into verified orders—at scale.

For years, sellers made TikTok and Instagram work with duct tape and hustle. Now, they don’t have to.

Auqli is live. And it’s built for them.

Download Auqli on Android and IOS