In Morocco, a large share of small shops sell on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp or TikTok, with no website and no contract with a delivery company. Orders arrive as messages, are paid in cash on delivery, and everything happens within hours: confirm, pack, ship, collect. Here's a simple routine from the first message to the cash in your hand, with an order confirmation message you can copy.
In this guide8
- 01An order's journey, from message to cash
- 02The confirmation message, to copy
- 03Addresses a courier finds first time
- 04Organising your shipping day
- 05WhatsApp Business: the tools that save time
- 06Delivery fees: announce them, don't hide them
- 07Delivering your orders with Delivery Center
- 08Frequently asked questions
01An order's journey, from message to cash
- The message.Reply fast, with the price and the delivery time. A customer waiting for your answer is waiting for someone else's too.
- The confirmation.A summary message, and a written reply from the customer (see the template below).
- Packing.Sturdy packaging and a clear label: first name, phone, city, neighbourhood, landmark, amount to collect.
- Shipping.You hand the parcel to a courier or a delivery company.
- The handover.The courier collects the cash, the customer gets the parcel.
- The cash.It comes back to you, and you confirm you've received it.
- Follow-up.A message after delivery, a photo from the customer if they agree, and you note every refusal with its reason.
02The confirmation message, to copy
Send it as soon as the order is taken, and ship only after the customer replies:
Hello Karim, thank you for your order from Atelier Nour. To confirm:
– 1 blue kaftan, size M: 450 DH, delivery included
– Address: Hay Riad, Rabat, near Al Amal pharmacy
– Delivery: tomorrow between 2 pm and 6 pm, cash on delivery
Reply "OK" to confirm, or tell us what needs correcting.
That message does three things: it fixes the total price (no surprise at the door), it checks the address, and it turns an impulsive "I want it" into a written commitment. A customer who doesn't answer this message is unlikely to answer the courier: better to know now than after a parcel's round trip.
03Addresses a courier finds first time
Many addresses in Morocco are given by landmarks rather than numbers. Always ask for:
- the city and the neighbourhood;
- the street, the residence, the building and the floor if there is one;
- a nearby landmark: a mosque, a school, a pharmacy, a well-known café;
- a shared location on WhatsApp, which saves half the phone calls;
- a number that will answer at delivery time, and a second one if possible.
04Organising your shipping day
- Set a cut-off timefor example, orders confirmed before 1 pm ship the same day, the rest the next day. Say so in your bio and in your automatic reply.
- Pack everything at oncepack and label every confirmed parcel before the courier arrives. A courier kept waiting means a higher price and a late round.
- Group parcels by areaseveral parcels in the same neighbourhood make one round, often cheaper per parcel.
- Keep a simple tabledate, customer, phone, city, amount to collect, courier, status (confirmed, shipped, delivered, refused), cash received. A notebook works; a spreadsheet works better.
05WhatsApp Business: the tools that save time
The WhatsApp Business app already has almost everything a small shop needs:
- the catalogue, to send a product with its photo and price in one tap;
- quick replies, for the confirmation message, delivery times, sizes;
- labels, to sort your chats: new order, confirmed, shipped, delivered, refused;
- the away message, to tell night-time customers you'll confirm in the morning;
- the direct link to your chat, for your Instagram or TikTok bio.
06Delivery fees: announce them, don't hide them
A customer who discovers a fee at the door has every reason to refuse. Pick a rule and show it everywhere:
- a fixed fee per city ("Casablanca 25 DH, other cities 40 DH");
- or free delivery above a basket amount;
- and in every case, one single total in the confirmation message: the amount the courier will collect.
To set those amounts, see our guide to delivery prices in Morocco, which compares published rates and works out the real cost of a delivered parcel.
Delivery Center
Delivering your orders with Delivery Center
On Delivery Center you post each parcel with its pickup, drop-off, size (1.5 kg minimum) and the cash to collect. Independent couriers in your city offer their price; you choose. Then:
- from the app, you send your customer the parcel's delivery code by WhatsApp. At the door, the courier asks for it: the right code confirms the delivery on the spot;
- you follow the parcel from pickup to handover;
- the cash collected comes back to you hand to hand, and you confirm you've received it;
- you rate the courier, and they rate you too.
One rule to know: if you cancel after a courier has accepted, or you're not there when they come to collect, it's a warning on your account. Three warnings in 30 days pause your posting for 7 days. So get the parcel ready before you post it.
08Frequently asked questions
How do I avoid fake orders?
Confirm in writing and ship only after a reply, check the number answers, and be wary of orders with no name and no precise address. To go further, read our guide to reducing cash-on-delivery returns.
How long should I keep a refused parcel before selling it again?
Long enough to call the customer once and understand why. If it was a timing or money problem, offer a new date; otherwise, put the product back in stock and note the reason in your table.
Should I use a delivery company or an independent courier?
They complement each other. A delivery company brings a price grid and a national network; an independent courier brings a price offered for your route and cash that comes back hand to hand. Our guide to e-commerce delivery in Morocco compares the two models.
Where can I sell beyond social media?
Instagram's and Facebook's built-in shops are not offered in Morocco: your orders there stay as messages. To receive orders ready-made, or to reach other buyers, a classifieds site, a marketplace or your own online shop can sit alongside your social accounts. Our comparison of where to sell online in Morocco sets out the fees and the delivery of each one.
