Last Updated on 7 April 2022 by Gertrude
Dictionary.com defines retail as the sale of goods to the public in small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale.
An example of retail is local shops (duka), Naivas, salons, and shoe retailers.
Retailers don’t sell goods only but services like restaurants, hotels and bars are retailers too.
Popular retailers by industries are automotive, food and beverage, online retailers, vending machines and direct sale stores.
Retailing got affected during the pandemic but essential services like grocery and drug stores weren’t affected.
An important time of the year in retailing is the holiday season ( Black Friday, Easter, back to school, Christmas, school holidays).
Table of Contents
How Does Retailing Work?
Retailers purchase goods from supplies and manufacturers.
They raise prices.
The price increase by retailers is called a markup or profit margin
The profit margin is 100 per cent double the cost of labour, equipment and distribution.
Retailers make more money if they purchase directly from the factory.
Retailers are also online stores like Amazon, eBay, and Netflix.
Many retailers focus on home delivery sales while others combine their distribution to maximise profits.
Online retailers buy because it’s easy to compare prices.
Online retail is destroying mall business – change according to shopper’s preferences.
Best Retail Businesses to Start From Home in Kenya
- Furniture
How to Begin a Furniture Store in Kenya and Become a Success in 2 Years
Make Over 1M+ Monthly From Your Backyard Upgrading Furniture in Kenya
[Furniture Upcycle]
2. Stationery
3. Grocery
How to Start a Green Grocer Business
4. Food truck
How to Start a 1M Dollar + Food Truck Business in Kenya
5. Subscription
How to Start a Profitable Subscription Box Side Hustle Business in Kenya
6. E-commerce retail business
How to Start a Billion-Dollar eCommerce Business in Kenya [Kenya’s Amazon From Home]
7. Cosmetic store business
How to Build a Cosmetics Empire and Become a Billionaire in 5 Years From Home in Kenya
8. Sewing and alteration
How to Start a Sewing and Alterations Business as a Mum and Make 500K+/Month in Kenya
9. Newsstand – selling newspaper and magazines
10. A pet store
Do You Love Cats and Dogs? Start Selling Cat and Dog and other Pet Products for Profit in Kenya
11. Personalised gift business
How to Start a Personalised Gift Business Bringing in Over 1M Dollars a Year in Kenya From Home
12. Antique business
13. Perfume
How to Start a Perfume Business in Kenya All You Need to Know
14. Bakery
How a Bakery Side Hustle Makes 2M+ Shillings a Month in Kenya
15. Mobile repair business
Making Money Repairing Phones From Home in Kenya [Quitting a Job for a Mobile Repair Business]
16. Kids store
Start a Kid Store Business in Kenya and Employ 5+ People Within a Year in Kenya
17. Selling baby shoes
Babies Feet are Cute Start a Business Selling Babies Shoes Making Over 3 Million Shillings a Month in Kenya
18. Coffee /tea
Bring Joy and Profits With a Bubble Tea Business in Kenya
Sell Hot Chocolate Bomb Business Brighten People’s Business and Make Money in Kenya
19. Butcher
A Butchery Business is Profitable If You Do The Following as the Owner in Kenya
20. Plant nursery shop
Plant Nurseries are Making Nature Lovers Millions of Shillings Online in Kenya Learn How
21. Auto parts shop / start a spare parts business
How Does a Spare Parts Business Become Profitable in Kenya Amidst Competition?
22. Ice cream shop business
Learn How to Become a Millionaire With an Ice Cream Business in Kenya
23. Ladies’ garment shop (ready-made) with low investment
Build a Ready-Made Ladies’ Garment Boutique With Low Investment in Kenya
24. Retail pharmacy (how to open a restaurant, mistakes learnt running a restaurant)
Are Pharmacies/Chemists Profitable This Year in Kenya? Learn How to Make Your Pharmacy Make Money
25. Fruit store
Fruits Make You Healthy and Strong: Start a Business Selling Fruits in Kenya in a Kibanda and Make Over 100k/Month
26. Flower shop
Find Customers to Your Flower Shop Business Beyond Valentines Day in Kenya in 25 Steps
27. Fashion accessories business
Unbelievable Fashion Accessories to Sell in Your Boutique as a Kenya
28. Kitchenware and home essentials
The Best Kitchenware and Home Essentials Products That are Profitable to Sell Online in Kenya
29. Bags store
What You Don’t Know About Starting a Luxury HandBag Designing Home Business From Home in Kenya But Need to
30. Organic food store
Surprising Tips for Making Your Organic Food Store Business Make More Money Than HU in Kenya
31. Pizza
These Five Reasons Will Make You Salivate Over Starting a Profitable Pizza Business and Make Side Hustle Money in Kenya
32. Toys store
Revolutionary Ways to Get the Most Profit Out of Your Toy Store Business in Kenya
33. An aquarium house
Become The Top Travel Destination in Kenya By Starting a Million-Dollar Aquarium House in 2 Years
34. Crockery store business
35. Hydroponics store business
Love Hydroponics? Help Kenya Farmers HaveVegetable Supply Year Round With a Hydroponics Store
36. Fuel station
Why You Have Never Heard of How a Fuel/Petrol Station Can Turn You Into a Billionaire in Kenya
37. Tyre store
(Ways You Can Triple Your Tyre Store Income in a Year in Kenya Super Amazing Ideas
38. Fabric store
5 Incredible Fabric Store Tips You Need to Know to Make Your Store a Raving Success Amongst Fashion Designers in Kenya
39. Footwear store
This is Why You Cannot Compete With China Knock-offs in Your Footwear Store in Kenya and What To Do
40. Start a liquor shop business
What You Don’t Know About Your Wines and Spirits Business in Kenya and How to Improve
41. A used book store business (1M + side hustles)
Can a Used Book Store Bring in Over a Million Shillings a Month in Kenya? We Explore How in Simple Language
42. Athleisure
You Will Never Become Kenya’s Nike With Your Athleisure Business Without Doing This
43. IT hardware store (desktops, laptops, mouse, speakers, harddisks)
44. Tours and travel
Innovations in the Tourism Industry You Won’t Believe Exist and No One Does in Kenya
You Need to Start Marketing to Local Tourists Instead of International in Your Tours Business in Kenya and Still Become a Success
45. Tattoo parlour
The Best Tattoo Artists Believe These are the Best Ways of Running a Successful Tattoo Parlour in Kenya
46. Sweets and snacks
Who Else Wants 10 New Customers in Their Candy Business in Kenya?
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Snacks Empire in Kenya With Less Than 100k
47. Handmade business
The Secret of Creating a Handmade/DIY Empire With Social Media From Home in Kenya
Collectable sellers e.g coins, sports memorabilia then sell on platforms like eBay
48. Lunch cart
How to Make Over 50k Every Lunch Time With a Lunch Cart Business in Kenya
49. Canned goods
Here’s to How to Build a Canned Food Business While Working Full-time in Kenya
50. Kibanda
Give Me 10 Minutes and I Will Teach You How to Make Your Kibanda Business Bring in Over 500k/Month in Kenya
51. Card shop/paper products
How to Launch a Greeting Cards Business Like a Pro and Make Profit in Your First Week in Kenya
52. Gift basket service
How to Make Over a Million Shillings From a Single Gift Basket Business in Kenya
53. Local gift shop
54. Wedding shop
Why Bad Marketing Strategies Kills Your Wedding Shop in Kenya: How Lack of Social Media Marketing Costs You Millions
55. Craft supplies
If You Read One Article About a Craft Supplies Business in Kenya, Read This One to Become Successful
56. Workwear retailer e.g selling scrubs, construction wear and pikipiki/motorbike wear
15 Facts About Being a Workwear Retailer Will Make You Profits in 6 Months and Make Competitors Afraid in Kenya
56. Printshop
Tools Everyone in the Print Shop Business in Kenya Should Use for Maximising Profits
57. Vending machines
These Advantages of a Vending Machine Business in Kenya Will Change Your View on Vending Machine
58. Pop up shop
59. Fitness centre
This is Why You’re Losing Money in Your Gym Business in Kenya and How to Fix It Quickly
60. Internet cafe
Are Internet Cafes Profitable in Kenya? How to Make Your Stand Out From the Competition
61. Photo studio
62. Retail distribution
63. Shoeshine
64. Used car dealer
65. Home furnishing = fabrics for couches, sell bedsheets, bed covers, curtains, pillows, cushions, mats, carpets
66. Laundry and dry cleaning
67. Maternity clothing store
68. Cloth diaper
69. Farm machinery
70. Fertiliser distribution
71. Retail feed store
72. Car wash
73. Blouse shop
74. Coaching centre
75. Nail art centre/shop
76. Deep-fried spicy chicken
Biggest Food Trend in Kenya Making You Money Daily Hint: Something You Crave For Daily
Starting a Retail Venture (What to Consider)
Choose a name
For any type of retail business you choose, build your business around the name.
If you want to start a tattoo parlour, choose a name that matches or goes with the tattoo parlour.
If you choose a name like Naivas, which is a general retail store, ensure, you communicate your name to your customer.
In choosing a name, don’t restrict your business too much.
For example, saying, Jane’s Afro Comb means only people with afros are welcome.
Business names reflect your future ambitions, what are your future ambitions with your business?
What do you want to achieve, 5 years from now?.
This means, how do you see your business achieving in five years?
What will the achievement look like?
What services do you see yourself achieving in that period?
Develop a brand
When entrepreneurs hear the talk about brand, they shrivel.
Branding is more than a logo and having a sleek website.
A brand is establishing how to cater to your customers and how they should expect your delivery of services.
A brand is about having the message marketing message across your social media and marketing channels.
You get your brand story, the most powerful and important aspect of branding by developing your brand story.
What do you want to be remembered with?
What are you doing to ensure you get remembered as you want?
Retailers don’t care so much about building a brand but a business.
Yet a retail business maintains contact with customers throughout their lives in existence.
Do you want to know how to build a brand and not just a business?
READ: How to Build a Brand and Not Just a Business in Kenya
What’s a Brand and How Do I Develop a Memorable Brand in Kenya?
Meet legal requirements
Don’t start any business not just retail without meeting your legal requirements.
These legal requirements are licences, permits, insurances, business accounts and tax permits.
You don’t want to underreport your taxes then get caught during an audit or refuse to report your taxes.
Remember, kulipa ushuru ni kujitegemea.
Also, insurance helps you deal with eventualities like a fire or theft or debt in case of your sudden death in your business don’t be afraid to ask what insurance policy will be good for your business.
Have a business plan
Entrepreneurs especially small scale retailers tend to ignore the value and importance of a business plan.
A business plan isn’t a static document that you must stick with.
A business plan helps you solve a few startup problems like where do you get your customers, how do you market and what marketing strategies are the best or how do you analyse competitors or what your business structure looks like.
A business plan is a visual plan that helps you understand what you cannot complete in a sentence when talking about your business.
Your business plan will change according to what you want to offer in future but it doesn’t mean you must not write one. Let your retail business plan have some of the components and they include:
Marketing analysis of competition
Marketing plan
A description of customer experience
A plan for future hiring
Profit and loss plan
Consider costs
You cannot start a business without knowing how much costs go into the operation of your business.
When starting a retail store, the startup costs may seem complicated but they don’t have to be.
The following are startup costs for retail stores to consider and they include:
Retail location and deposits needed
Updating and fixing of the store to make it appealing to customers so think of new painting, installation of shelves for displays, decors to use.
The decor, shelves and paint must match your marketing materials like brochures, website design and social media posts.
You want to have cohesiveness in your business that allows customers to remember who you are.
Inventory costs – you have to know how much it will cost you to stock up your shelves. Do you have ready and reliable suppliers?
Are your suppliers within or without the country?
Are they communicative suppliers or do you have to travel to get them?
Your inventory gets affected by how your supplier responds to changes in demand for your products.
You want a supplier that expands with your business.
Computer and phone services
Domain and email services
Webhosting
Point of sale software
Marketing
Exterior and interior signage
Trademark registration
Business registration
Logo design
Legal services
General office expenses like liability insurance, cleaning, office accounting software and systems
Choose a location
Did you know choosing a location for your business is the most tasking event you can do as a retailer?
The first question to ask is where are your customers?
How do your customers want services or products delivered to them?
What are your customers’ will to spend on getting your products and services?
You don’t get these numbers by guessing but by understanding your customer’s response to your location.
There are some businesses where customers don’t mind queueing for hours in order to get their products or services. The best example is Apple products.
Customers will wait in the queue from the am to the pm to get an iPhone.
You can also get your products delivered to you no matter the location you are in the world.
Don’t be Apple, listen to what customers tell you.
Some customers despite the increase in numbers with online shopping prefer to shop in-store others prefer online others love surprises inside subscription boxes.
Understanding how to choose a location for a retail store can get daunting, it doesn’t have to.
Read how to choose a profitable location for your retail store below.
Know that customers come to your premise for more than your location, customers will locate your business no matter the corner it is in for your products, customer excellence, branding and because they feel awesome owning your products.
Don’t focus so much on a location that you forget it’s about the customer and fulfilling their expectations first.
READ MORE: How to Choose a Profitable and Winning Location for Your Small Business in Kenya
Retail loves multi-taskers
Types of Jobs Available in Retail
The following are types of jobs available in retail and they are:
Cashier
Sales associate
Store manager
Buyer
Visual merchandiser
Social media manager
Customer service representative
Team leaders and floor managers
Advertising and marketing manager
Clearing and maintenance
Security guard
Stocker
Retail warehouse worker
Loss prevention manager
Logistics = everything job/multiple skill sets.
Roles include ensuring the store meets regulations and requirements and guiding the store to meet targeted sales.
15 Highest Paying Retail Jobs
The following are the 15 highest paying retail jobs and they include:
Beauty consultant
Pharmacy technician
Buyer
Loss and prevention manager
Cosmetics manager
Purchasing manager
Customer service supervisor
Store manager
General manager
Retail franchise owner
Regional manager
Related Resources for Most Profitable Retail Business Ideas With Low Investment
Most Successful Small Town Business Ideas in Kenya
Low-Cost Small Business Ideas in Kenya
90 Fastest-Growing and Profitable Businesses in Kenya
FAQs for Most Profitable Retail Business Ideas
What business can I start in a small shop?
The businesses to start in a small shop include:
Candle
Spicy chicken
Sewing
Ice cream
Cake/cupcake
Laundry
Snacks
Food
Groceries
What’s the most inexpensive business to start?
The most inexpensive business to start includes:
Sales consultant
Lawncare
Cupcakes
Errands
Handyman
Cleaning Babysitting
Which shop can I open?
You can open the following kinds of shops:
Salon,
Nail art
Makeup studio
Mandazi, cookies and tea shop
Groceries shop
What’s something unique selling?
The following are some unique things to sell and they include:
Organisers
Jewellery art
Sewn items
Resin jewellery
Decorative dishes
Cups
Glasses
Bath soap
90 fastest-growing businesses?
The following are the fastest growing businesses in Kenya
Tutor
Online nurseries
Cleaning
Translation services
Lawn care services
Digital artists
Starting a retail business in Kenya is the best way to employ yourself.
You don’t have to start a giant retail supermarket like Naivas to see huge and steady profits.
Start your retail business small while thinking big.
Which retail business are you interested in starting?