Frequently Asked Questions about shopping online on shopbwana.com

Frequently Asked Questions About Shopping Online On shopbwana.com

We appreciate that many of you will have burning questions about shopping online on shopbwana.com. We’ve gathered together the questions we think might be on your mind. Do let us know if you have a question we haven’t answered here!

Summary of FAQ questions

Scroll down for your answers.

1. Buying online

1.1. What products does shopbwana.com sell?1.2. Why do you focus on products that are available in Zambia?1.3. How do I buy online?1.4. How does it actually work?1.5. Do I need to register an account on shopbwana.com?1.6. Can I be sure the item I buy will be in stock?1.7. Can I trust you?1.8. How quickly will the range of products available on shopbwana.com expand?

2. Paying online

2.1. How secure are payments on shopbwana.com?2.2. Can I pay in ZMW and USD?2.3. Why are some items in the online shop shown in ZMW and some items shown in USD?2.4. Can I use my ZMW VISA card to pay for an item in the online shop?2.5. Can I use my ZMW Mastercard card to pay for an item in the online shop?2.6. Can I use my USD VISA card to pay for an item in the online shop?2.7. Can I use my USD Mastercard card to pay for an item in the online shop?2.8. Can I use my American Express card to pay for an item in the online shop?2.9. Can I use my MTN Money account to pay for an item in the online shop?2.10. Can I use my Airtel Money account to pay for an item in the online shop?2.11. I want to buy an item using my ZMW VISA or my ZMW Mastercard card, but the price is given in USD. Can I buy it?2.12. I want to buy an item using my USD VISA or Mastercard card but the price is given in ZMW. Can I buy it?2.13. Prices fluctuate a lot in Zambia. Can I be sure that the price I am paying online is accurate?

3. Store Pickup and Delivery

3.1. Can I have my items delivered?3.2. What is Store Pickup?3.3. How does Store Pickup work?3.4. Where do I find my order collection details?3.5. Where do I pick up my order from?3.6. What do I need in order to collect my order?3.7. Can someone collect a package on my behalf?3.8. What forms of ID do I need in order to collect my package?3.9. What happens if I forget my order reference number?3.10. What happens if I forget my ID?3.11. What happens if I try to collect my order before the collection period3.12. What happens if I have missed the collection period and try to collect my order after the collection period?

4. Refunds

4.1. Can I get a refund?4.2. How do I get a refund?4.3. What state should the product be in for a return to be processed?4.4. How long will my refund take?4.5. Can I get a refund if it is more than 7 days since I bought my item?4.6. Why do you have a 7 day returns window?4.7. What if my item is defective and I have missed the 7 day returns window4.8. Can I get a refund for customised items?4.9. Can I get a refund for the costs of returning my item?4.10. The Seller is not cooperating with arranging a valid refund. What do I do now?4.11. How can I minimise potential issues with getting a refund if I need one4.12. What are my statutory rights on returns, refunds and replacements?

5. Become a Seller on shopbwana.com

5.1. Can anyone set up an online shop on shopbwana.com?5.2. How do I become a Seller on shopbwana.com?5.3. What is the cost of being a Seller on shopbwana.com?5.4. How do I keep my product information up to date on shopbwana.com?

6. General

6.1. Who is shopbwana.com?6.2. What does shopbwana.com do?

1. Buying online

1.1. What products does shopbwana.com sell?

We’re passionate about making the products you can get in Zambian shops available online — products made in Zambia or imported into Zambia, products sold by Zambian companies or by foreign companies operating in Zambia. If it’s in a Zambian brick and mortar shop, we want to sell it online!

In short, our niche is selling Zambian products on a Zambian ecommerce website. Not importing goods from China. Not giving you access to international brands on international websites. Our theory is if you love Zambia, then shop Zambia!

We’re working hard to grow the range of products available for you to buy. Please check back regularly and support our ‘ecommerce for Zambia’ movement. As outlined below, ecommerce is good for the people, good for business, and good for the economy.

1.2. Why do you focus on products that are available in Zambia?

We’re championing ecommerce for Zambia because we believe shopping in Zambia should be easier. People deserve easy access to key product information like prices, descriptions and whether they are in stock! You shouldn’t have to phone for a price enquiry and hope that the phone will be answered. You shouldn’t have to physically go to a shop only to discover the item you want is out of stock.

Putting Zambian products online means people will have the information they need to shop more easily, conveniently and efficiently. Putting Zambian products online also means that people have more choice and are able to compare brands, suppliers, products and, ultimately, reviews.

At the same time, ecommerce for Zambia is good for businesses and good for the economy. It is win, win.

1.3. How do I buy online?

Click here to follow our guide, ‘How To Shop Online on shopbwana.com — A Step By Step Guide’

1.4. How does it actually work?

We connect people to businesses through shopbwana.com, so people like you can buy online through our ecommerce platform. When a Seller registers to have an online shop on shopbwana.com, we set up their ecommerce shop and provide the tools needed for an online transaction to take place. Once a product has been paid for, we send the Seller the order details, so they can fulfill the order. Depending on the options you chose when placing your order, you then go and pick your item up when it is convenient to you or wait for it to be delivered to you.

1.5. Do I need to register an account on shopbwana.com?

Yes. We know from our Ecommerce survey that having to set up an account is frustrating for some. However, in the same survey, many of you expressed concerns about fraud and the desire for convenience. Here’s why having an account on shopbwana.com is a really important feature.

Security — having a login system adds another layer of security and reduces fraud. Part of the registration process involved verifying your email address helping to ensure that no one can randomly use your email address for online shopping! We’re making sure the person using the email address to shop on shopbwana.com can also access that email account.
Speed and convenience — having an account means your details are saved across multiple sessions and multiple devices. Without an account, you’d lose the items in your basket if you used a different device, you wouldn’t have access to a history of all your order details and each time you order, you’d have to enter your contact details.
Reliability — having an account means every order and basket is attached to a user, so we know who to contact in case we need to update you.

1.6. Can I be sure the item I buy will be in stock?

Due to systems we have in place with partner companies, stock levels will be fixed for one week and checked regularly. Efforts have been put in place to ensure, as far as possible, that products you purchase are in stock. If, for whatever reason, an item you buy is out of stock, a refund will be quickly processed.

1.7. Can I trust you?

Well, we think so! Here’s why.

We’ve been around for more than 10 years.
We spent more than 12 months solving the impossible’s, and the if’s, but’s and maybe’s of adding a dependable online shopping feature to our well-established platform.
Just because we launched, doesn’t mean we stop developing. We are constantly making our ecommerce platform better and better.
As far as we are aware, there are now two dependable online payment providers available in Zambia. We launched with Flutterwave who support payments through your bank card and MTN mobile money. In time we are likely to also partner with DPO who also support Airtel Money.
Customer service is important to us. Although shopbwana.com is simply a piece of technology that connects a business to a customer for the purposes of a transaction we recognise that we have to be available if people using our site to make purchases have a problem. We are partnering with our clients to facilitate acceptable levels of customer service for those using shopbwana.com and you can contact us directly on hello@infobwana.com if you have any customer service problems.
Due to systems we have in place with partner companies, stock levels will be fixed for one week and prices will be adjusted daily if required. These efforts have been put in place to ensure, as far as possible, that products you purchase are in stock and at the right price.

1.8. How quickly will the range of products available on shopbwana.com expand?

We are adding businesses and products on a daily basis so it’s worth checking back regularly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get the freshly listed items you can buy online.

We are actively looking for forward thinking businesses who are ecommerce ready. However, we recognise that we need to support the majority of businesses to make the jump from traditional brick and mortar shops into businesses that have both physical shops and an online shop. We know it takes additional resources, expertise and systems to transition into the online space, especially for the initial setup — but we’ve made it easy for you.

We now have the plug and play ecommerce system and we’re fulfilling two very important additional roles —

We’re helping businesses figure out how key components of ecommerce fit into their existing businesses so they can transition smoothly — think product images and descriptions, stock management, picking and packing, delivery, ecommerce customer services. These are things that can seem very new and daunting for a businesses to tackle. We’re here to help.
We’re improving the range of products and providing the guidance and reassurance that the population needs to gain trust in shopbwana.com online shop and to accept it as the new norm — the more convenient and safer way to shop.

So, as well as seeking out suppliers of the products people want to be able to buy online, we are looking at how to ease the transition into ecommerce, both for business and the people.

2. Payments

2.1. How secure are payments on shopbwana.com?

You can be confident that paying on shopbwana.com is safe and secure.

shopbwana.com website is HTTPS secure by default and at no point during the process do we have access to your payment details.
The complete transaction process is handled by a third party payment processor who are PA DSS & PCI DSS Compliant (meaning their payment system has satisfied the highest level security audit in the industry) and ISO 27001 & 22301 Certified (meaning they have acceptable business practises and a robust business continuity plan).

2.2. Can I pay in ZMW and USD?

Yes, we can process payments in ZMW or USD. But there are some important points to be aware of:

The Seller decides what currency they want to use to sell a particular product in their online shop. You will need to buy a product in whatever currency it is shown in.
In any order that you place, all items have to be in the same currency, either ZMW or USD.
A ZMW order will be processed in ZMW, and a USD order will be processed in USD.
If you want to buy some items that are shown with a ZMW price and some items that are shown with a USD price, then you can place two separate orders.
You can use a ZMW VISA card or a ZMW Mastercard to pay for a USD order.
Similarly you can use your MTN Money account to pay for a USD order.
Currently, you can only use a ZMW VISA card, a ZMW Mastercard or an MTN Money account to make payments on shopbwana.com

2.3. Why are some items in the online shop shown in ZMW and some items shown in USD?

The Sellers choose which currency they want to use to sell their products in their online shop.

2.4. Can I use my ZMW VISA card to pay for an item in the online shop?

Yes.

2.5. Can I use my ZMW Mastercard card to pay for an item in the online shop?

Yes.

2.6. Can I use my USD VISA card to pay for an item in the online shop?

No, not at the moment.

2.7. Can I use my USD Mastercard card to pay for an item in the online shop?

No, not at the moment.

2.8. Can I use my American Express card to pay for an item in the online shop?

No, not at the moment.

2.9. Can I use my MTN Money account to pay for an item in the online shop?

Yes.

2.10. Can I use my Airtel Money account to pay for an item in the online shop?

No, not at the moment.

2.11. I want to buy an item using my ZMW VISA or my ZMW Mastercard card, but the price is given in USD. Can I buy it?

Yes you can. But if you also want to buy some items with a price given in ZMW, you’ll have to place a separate order for those. In any order that you place, all items have to be priced in the same currency, either ZMW or USD.

2.12. I want to buy an item using my USD VISA or Mastercard card but the price is given in ZMW. Can I buy it?

Unfortunately you cannot currently use a USD card to make payments on shopbwana.com.

2.13. Prices fluctuate a lot in Zambia. Can I be sure that the price I am paying online is accurate?

Our prices are adjusted daily if required, using systems we have in place with our Sellers. This ensures, as far as possible, that products you purchase are at the right price. The price you buy your item for through shopbwana.com will be honoured.

3. Store Pickup and Delivery

3.1. Can I have my items delivered?

Yes you can. When making your order, simply select the option to have your items delivered. The delivery fee will be shown and added to your order total. The details about your delivery will be shown in your order confirmation and your order will be delivered within the period indicated. This will usually be within 48 hours of your order.

3.2. Can I have my items delivered outside of Lusaka?

Not yet. However, we are currently working with delivery companies to make this a feasible option. For the moment, to get an order delivered outside of Lusaka, give the address of a friend or relative in Lusaka which your order can be delivered to, and then organise your own delivery to the final destination e.g. by bus for pick up in say Ndola or Livingstone.

3.2. What is Store Pickup?

This is when you choose to shop online then pickup your items at your chosen location. Or you can send someone to collect your order on your behalf.

3.3. How does Store Pickup work?

During the purchase process, you will be asked to select from where you want to pick up your order. At the moment this is branch dependent. So if the Seller has multiple branches from which you can pick up, you can select the most convenient location for you.

We will introduce third party pick up points to give customers more convenience and flexibility as soon as we can.

3.4. Where do I find my order collection details?

Your collection instructions and details of your order are sent to you via email when your payment is confirmed on shopbwana.com. You can also log in to your account on shopbwana.com to see your order history which includes your collection instructions.

3.5. Where do I pick up my order from?

We will introduce third party pick up points to give customers more convenience and flexibility as soon as we can.

3.6. What do I need in order to collect my order?

Simply follow these steps.

Visit your order’s collection point during its collection period.
Ask for your package and present your order reference number.
Present a valid Photo ID that bears your resemblance such as your NRC, Passport or Driving License
Your signature and Photo ID number may be collected for added security

3.7. Can someone collect a package on my behalf?

Yes you may send someone to collect your package on your behalf. They will need to present the correct order reference number and their own valid Photo ID.

Note that you should be cautious about who you share your order reference number with, as any individual with the correct order reference could potentially collect your package.

3.8. What forms of ID do I need in order to collect my package?

You’ll need to present a valid Photo ID that bears your resemblance such as your NRC, Passport or Driving License

3.9. What happens if I forget my order reference number?

You will need your order reference number to collect your order. So make sure you have access to it on your phone. Otherwise you will have to come back later with your order reference number.

3.10. What happens if I forget my ID?

You will need a valid Photo ID to collect your order. So make sure you take your ID with you. Otherwise you will have to come back later with your Photo ID.

3.11. What happens if I try to collect my order before the collection period?

Your order may not be ready for pickup. The collection period is set to give the Seller enough time to pick and pack your order ready for collection. In some instances this means transporting your order from one branch to another. The collection period is when your order is guaranteed to be ready for pick up.

3.12. What happens if I have missed the collection period and try to collect my order after the collection period?

There is no guarantee that your order will still be there after the collection period so please respect the collection period. Understandably, Sellers can’t hold on to orders indefinitely so they only commit to holding items for Buyers until the last day of the collection period. However, you may still contact the Seller who may be able to help you. The Seller may still have your items waiting for you, they may still have the items in stock or they may process a refund or offer you gift vouchers at their discretion.

4. Refunds

4.1. Can I get a refund?

Yes you can get a refund in certain circumstances, as long as you get in touch with the Seller and the refund is processed within 7 days of buying an item. You can get refunds for items that are incorrect, damaged, defective or do not match the item description on our website.

4.2. How do I get a refund?

You will need to contact the Seller to arrange the refund and return of the item within 7 days of buying the item. The Sellers contact details are available through shopbwana.com. When the Seller approves the refund they will contact us to process your refund.

4.3. What state should the product be in for a return to be processed?

When returning an item, it must be returned in the exact conditions you received it, including all its packaging.

4.4. How long will my refund take?

A refund will be made within 10 business days of receipt of the return. But it may take 10 business days for it to display on your payment card statement. If you have not received your refund after 10 business days, you should contact the Seller for further assistance.

4.5. Can I get a refund if it is more than 7 days since I bought my item?

Unfortunately, you cannot get a refund if it is longer than 7 days since you bought your item. However, you may contact the Seller and they may offer you an alternative solution at their discretion.

4.6. Why do you have a 7 day returns window?

When someone buys an item from a Seller through shopbwana.com, we transfer that money to the Seller, less a small commission. We do not pay the Seller until after 7 days have passed to ensure that, in the unlikely event, we can process a refund.

4.7. What if my item is defective and I have missed the 7 day returns window?

Although you are not guaranteed a refund if a product becomes defective after 7 days you can visit the Seller’s own website or contact them directly because you may have a guarantee in place and they may be able to offer troubleshooting and/or support with the issue you have with your item.

4.8. Can I get a refund for customised items?

For items with customization options, you must notify the Seller within 7 days of your purchase. If the item contains personal configurations, inscriptions, or designs, the Seller is not required to accept returns unless the item is damaged or defective upon arrival. If there is a misspelling or error in the configuration, inscription, or design due to a mistake by the Seller, you should refer to the Seller’s own terms and conditions.

4.9. Can I get a refund for the costs of returning my item?

The Seller may only refund return costs if you received an incorrect item, a damaged item, a defective item or an item that does not match its description. The Seller may require ‘proof of postage’ in order to refund the return costs.

4.10. The Seller is not cooperating with arranging a valid refund. What do I do now?

If you are having problems arranging a valid refund with the Seller, then please contact us directly on hello@infobwna.com. We can’t guarantee the outcome but we will do our best to help both parties reach a resolution.

4.11. How can I minimise potential issues with getting a refund if I need one?

You have 7 days to arrange and process and refund. To minimise any potential issues with getting a refund follow these steps:

Open your order carefully, ensuring you don’t damage the packaging
Check your item straight away and ensure it is not incorrect, damaged, defective or does not match its description
If you need a refund, contact the Seller immediately
Be polite when you contact the Seller. This isn’t a fight. We’re all working together.
Take as much information with you as possible. We suggest you take the order confirmation email you received from shopbwana.com when you originally placed your order as it will have everything the Seller may need to process your refund, such as your order reference number and the date you placed the order.
The Seller can only process the refund to the original payment method so take the card you paid with or the mobile money account information with you.
When you return an item, it must be returned in the exact conditions you received it, including all it’s packaging.

4.12. What are my statutory rights on returns, refunds and replacements?

You have statutory rights in relation to incorrect, damaged or defective goods, or poor or delayed services in accordance with the provisions of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act №24 of 2010 and any other applicable written law. Visit the link for a downloadable copy.

5. Become a Seller on shopbwana.com

5.1. Can anyone set up an online shop on shopbwana.com?

Any legal entity operating in Zambia can have an online shop on shopbwana.com You will need to have a bank account and an email address to work with us.

5.2. How do I become a Seller on shopbwana.com?

Contact us at hello@infobwana.com. You’ll need to accept our terms and conditions via a digital signature; then we’ll guide you through the process of setting up your online shop. You can be up and running within a matter of days. Here are Frequently Asked Questions about selling online through shopbwana.com for businesses.

5.3. What is the cost of being a Seller on shopbwana.com?

For most businesses it is a yearly fee of K8,700 (including VAT) for a Premium level subscription + 9% commission per item sold through our platform.

Some businesses, with a bigger range of products that need to be in more than three categories, will benefit from an Enterprise level subscription at a yearly fee of K8,352 (including VAT) + 9% commission per item sold through our platform.

5.4. How do I keep my product information up to date on shopbwana.com?

We are developing a login system so Sellers can sign in to edit information like prices and stock levels. Until this feature is available, you simply contact us with the updates and they will be processed immediately.

6. General

6.1. Who is shopbwana.com?

We’re a Lusaka based business, registered in Zambia as Infobwana Ltd.

6.2. What does shopbwana.com do?

We connect people to businesses through shopbwana.com, so people like you can buy online through our Ecommerce platform. When a Seller registers to have an online shop on shopbwana.com, we advertise their products and provide the tools needed for online transactions to take place. Once a product has been paid for, we send the Seller the order details, so they can fulfill the order. Depending on the options you choose when placing your order, you then go and pick your item up when it is convenient to you or wait for it to be delivered to you.

Still have a question?

If we have not answered you question then please let us know. You can send a Whatsapp message to +260 955 051035 or email us on hello@infobwana.com.

Become a Seller today

So, now we’ve answered all your questions, why not become a Seller on shopbwana.com? Remember that we’re here to guide you and make this work!

Frequently Asked Questions about shopping online on shopbwana.com