How to put your shop or restaurant online for free

Customers now look for shops and restaurants on their phones before they leave home. A shop that cannot be found there loses those sales to one that can, even when it has better prices or better food.

This guide explains how to list your business on Dimi, set it up so customers trust it, and take your first orders.

What it costs

Joining is free. There is no subscription and no monthly fee. Dimi earns a small fee on transactions, and the fee for each one is shown before you confirm it, so you only pay when you earn.

Step 1: Register your business

Sign in with your phone number and tell us about your business: its name, what you sell and where you are. It takes about two minutes and you do not need documents to start. You can register in the Dimi app or on the web.

Put your shop's pin in the right place on the map. Couriers and customers use it to find you, and it decides which customers can order from you for delivery.

Register your business on Dimi

Step 2: Add your products or menu

Add a photo, a name and a price for each item, from your phone or from the web console. Restaurants build a menu; shops list their products.

• Take photos in daylight, against a plain background, with the item filling most of the picture. Good photos sell more than anything else you can do.
• Use the name a customer would search for. "Teff flour, 1 kg" is easier to find than "Special flour".
• Add a short description: size, weight, ingredients or what the dish comes with.
• Start with the items you sell most. You can add the rest later.

Setting your prices

Online prices should match what customers pay in your shop. If you price higher online to cover packaging or extra work, say so in the item description, so nobody feels misled when they visit. Check your prices whenever your suppliers change theirs: a customer who orders at an old price and is then asked for more rarely orders again.

Offers work well online. A small bundle, such as a meal with a drink, or a family-size pack of a staple, gives a first-time customer a reason to try you.

Step 3: Set your hours and how orders reach the customer

Set your opening hours so customers can only order when you can prepare the order. Then choose how orders reach them:

• A Dimi courier collects the order from you and delivers it.
• You deliver your own orders and keep the delivery fee.
• The customer collects the order from your shop.
• Where shipping is available, you post the order with a carrier label and the customer sees the tracking.

You can change these choices whenever you like.

Step 4: Take your first order

When an order arrives, you get a notification. Accept it in the app or the web console and start preparing it. If a courier is delivering, they confirm the handover with a PIN, so you always know who took the order.

Customers can pay by card, mobile money or Dimi Pay, depending on the country. The money for your sales settles to your Dimi wallet.

Getting your first customers

• Share the link to your shop page on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. Your existing customers are your first online customers.
• Print your Dimi business card and put the QR code on your counter, so people in the shop can find you online next time.
• Keep your stock and prices up to date. An order you cannot fulfil costs you a customer, and an out-of-date price causes arguments.
• Reply to messages quickly. Customers come back to shops that answer.

Common questions

• Do I need a website? No. Your Dimi shop page is your page online, and you can share its link anywhere.
• Can I pause orders when I am busy or closed? Yes. Customers can only order during the opening hours you set, and you can change them whenever you need to.
• What if an item runs out? Mark it as unavailable, and customers will not be able to order it until you switch it back on.

Running the business from the same app

The same account gives you a till for sales in the shop, stock counts, and reports on what sells, on your phone and on the web. Online and in-shop sales are kept in one place, so you can see the whole business at a glance.