Kenya’s e-commerce boom opens door for Thai exporters
DITP’s Nairobi office says Kenya’s fast-growing digital retail market could give Thai businesses an early base for expansion into East Africa.
Gateway market for Thai business
Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion is pitching Kenya as more than a fast-growing online retail market. In a report from its Office of Commercial Affairs in Nairobi, DITP said Kenya’s e-commerce expansion could give Thai businesses an early foothold in East Africa and nearby markets, with the Nairobi office covering Kenya as well as Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, Seychelles and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The case for Kenya is rooted in scale and digital momentum. DITP said the country’s e-commerce market was worth US$762 million in 2024 and is expected to grow by 15–20% a year, supported by more than 40 million internet users and a projected 40 million e-commerce users by 2026. Kenya was also ranked Africa’s third-largest e-commerce market, behind South Africa and Nigeria, with 12.26 million online buyers in 2024.
Thailand must compete on quality, not price
For Thai exporters, however, the report’s central message is not simply that Kenya is growing fast. It is that Thai firms need to enter early and position themselves carefully. DITP’s Nairobi office said Thai businesses are likely to fare better by competing on quality, production standards, brand credibility and products that remain under-served in the local market, rather than trying to win on price alone. It identified health and beauty products, internationally standardised processed food and lifestyle goods aimed at the growing urban middle class as promising areas.
The report also makes clear that market entry should be built around Kenya’s mobile-first shopping habits. It recommended using large-reach marketplaces such as Jumia alongside social commerce channels including WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok. That reflects local buying behaviour: app-based transactions account for 44.8% of orders, while WhatsApp alone makes up 20.2%.
Mobile-first execution will be critical
Kenya’s digital infrastructure helps explain why that strategy matters. DITP said smartphone penetration stood at 83.5% in June 2025, while 4G coverage reached 97.3% of the population and mobile internet subscriptions rose to 58.5 million, up 27.3% year on year. The report said those trends are pushing online shopping deeper into both urban and rural markets.
That means logistics may be just as important as product choice. Rural areas already account for 60% of orders on Jumia, supported by more than 300 pick-up points across all 47 counties and a JForce network of over 26,000 agents. For Thai sellers, that points to the need for strong local delivery partners, fast customer response through chat, and possibly local stockholding or regional fulfilment to cut delivery times and build trust.
In short, the Thailand angle is clear: Kenya is being framed as both a new export market and a regional launchpad. But success, according to DITP’s Nairobi office, will depend on whether Thai firms can tailor their offer to a mobile-led, competitive market where speed, trust and differentiation matter as much as demand.
