To start an online store in Nigeria, register a business name or company with the CAC, open a business bank account, connect a gateway such as Paystack or Flutterwave and accept bank transfers, decide between your own riders and apps such as Chowdeck or Glovo, follow the NDPA 2023 for customer data, and use WhatsApp to bring customers back.
This guide is written by TheCoins, which sells online store, ordering and loyalty software. We cite a public source for every fee, law and market figure, and we tell you where to check current terms. It is written for restaurant, cafe and retail owners in Lagos and Abuja.
1. Register the business with the CAC
Payment gateways and banks ask for proof that your business exists, so register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) before you apply for a live gateway account. A business name suits a single owner. A private company limited by shares suits partners or owners who want to raise money later.
| Item | Typical official cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Business name reservation | NGN 1,000 to 5,000 | Name search itself is free |
| Business name registration and certified copies | NGN 20,000 | Plus a Remita fee of about NGN 161 |
| Small company (share capital up to NGN 1 million) | NGN 10,000 | Plus stamp duty of NGN 8,500 on the first NGN 1 million |
| Accredited agent (optional) | NGN 20,000 to 65,000 | Depends on business name or company |
These figures come from a May 2026 summary of the last gazetted CAC fee schedule. Confirm the amount on the CAC portal before you pay.
2. Choose how customers will pay
Nigerian customers pay online in three main ways: bank transfer, debit cards (Verve, Visa and Mastercard), and wallets such as OPay and PalmPay. A June 2026 guide reports that bank transfer is the dominant method for purchases above NGN 10,000, and that card payments fail more often because of bank limits and 3D Secure checks. Offer transfer and card together at checkout.
| Provider | Local fee (check current terms) | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Paystack | 1.5% + NGN 100, capped at NGN 2,000 | The NGN 100 is waived under NGN 2,500; international cards 3.9% + NGN 100 |
| Flutterwave | 1.4% + NGN 100 on local cards, capped at NGN 2,000 | Reported by Brands.ng; 7.5% VAT applies to fees |
| Moniepoint (Monnify) | 1.5% on transfers, capped at NGN 2,000 | Built for businesses that receive many transfers |
| Direct bank transfer | Bank charges only | A NGN 50 stamp duty applies to transfers of NGN 10,000 and above |
Example with Paystack: on a NGN 15,000 order the fee is 1.5% of 15,000 = NGN 225, plus NGN 100 = NGN 325. On a NGN 2,000 order the fee is NGN 30, because the NGN 100 is waived. On a NGN 200,000 order the formula gives NGN 3,100, but the cap limits it to NGN 2,000.
TheCoins takes payment through the provider you connect; ask us which providers are live in your country before you launch.
See how payments work on TheCoins
3. Plan delivery: your riders, apps, or both
Two food delivery apps operate at scale in Nigeria today. Chowdeck reported more than one million orders in a month in November 2025 and more than two million users by December 2025, across 14 cities in Nigeria and Ghana. Glovo says it has invested more than NGN 54 billion in Nigeria since 2021 and named Nigeria its fastest-growing market in 2026. Bolt Food and Jumia Food have both exited food delivery in Nigeria, so do not plan around them.
Apps bring new customers, but they charge a commission and they keep the customer relationship. A common setup is to stay on the apps for discovery and to move repeat customers to your own ordering link, served by your riders or a dispatch company. Check each app's commission in your contract; the figures vary by business.
Example: if 50 regular customers move to direct ordering each month at an average of NGN 12,000, that is NGN 600,000 in sales. If your app contract charged 20%, you would keep NGN 120,000 a month that would otherwise go to commission.
4. Sell and follow up on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is installed on 95% of surveyed smartphones in Nigeria, according to the Orange Group and KPMG Nigeria Smartphone Study 2025. Retailers already use it to take orders. The weak point is that orders sent by chat are hard to track, and prices and stock are often typed by hand. Use WhatsApp to send a link to your store and to remind customers, and let the store handle the menu, the price and the payment.
- Put your store link in your WhatsApp Business profile and Instagram bio.
- Send order confirmations and delivery updates by message.
- Ask for consent before you send offers, and give an easy way to stop them.
- Send few messages: a reward reminder, a birthday offer, a note after a few weeks without an order.
5. Follow the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023
The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) is enforced by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC). For a store and a loyalty program, it means four practical things. First, consent must be clear and active: silence or inaction is not consent, and the customer must know they can withdraw it. Second, customers can object to direct marketing, so every promotional message needs a way to opt out. Third, keep data only as long as you need it for the stated purpose. Fourth, customers can ask to see, correct or delete their data.
Fines can reach NGN 10 million or 2% of annual gross revenue, whichever is higher, for organizations of major importance, and NGN 2 million or 2% for others. This section is general information, not legal advice; ask a lawyer about your case.
6. What it costs per month
| TheCoins plan | Price in USD | About in NGN |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $79 a month | about NGN 106,600 |
| Growth | $199 a month | about NGN 268,500 |
| Pro | $349 a month | about NGN 470,900 |
Plans are billed in US dollars. The naira figures use 1 USD = NGN 1,349 (currencyconvert.online mid-market rate, 9 November 2026) and will move with the exchange rate. There is no commission on orders. Add gateway fees, delivery costs and the cost of rewards to your budget.
7. A step-by-step launch plan
- Week 1: register with the CAC and open a business bank account.
- Week 2: apply for a gateway account and enable bank transfer and cards at checkout.
- Week 3: load your menu or catalog with photos, prices and delivery zones in Lagos or Abuja.
- Week 4: test ten orders end to end, including a failed card payment and a refund.
- Launch: print a QR code for tables and bags, share the link on WhatsApp and Instagram, and start a simple loyalty reward.
- Month 2: compare direct orders with app orders and adjust delivery zones and rewards.
Where TheCoins fits
TheCoins gives you an online store, ordering links and QR codes, coins loyalty with tiers, referrals and rewards, Apple Wallet loyalty and gift cards, and WhatsApp, SMS, email and push journeys in one system. The Pro plan adds a branded iOS and Android app. It supports multiple branches, kiosks and analytics, connects to Oracle MICROS and other POS systems via API, and connects to Shopify. If you only need a basic store, a simpler tool may be enough; TheCoins fits best when you want direct orders and repeat visits in the same place.
Calculate what delivery app commission costs you
Sources
- Transactions pricing, Nigeria and Ghana (Paystack Support, September 2026)
- Best payment systems for online business in Nigeria, 2026 guide (Brands.ng, updated June 2026)
- Everything you need to budget for CAC registration fees in Nigeria in 2026 (Legit.ng, May 2026)
- Chowdeck crosses one million monthly orders in Nigeria (TechCabal, November 2025)
- Chowdeck passes two million users as expansion strengthens (Techeconomy, December 2025)
- Glovo invests N54bn in Nigeria since 2021, reaffirms market commitment (Techeconomy, September 2026)
- Understanding the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (CookieScript, November 2025)
- WhatsApp installed on 95% of Nigerian smartphones, Orange Group and KPMG study (Brand Spur, September 2026)
- US dollar to Nigerian naira rate, 9 November 2026 (currencyconvert.online)
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