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Scroll through a few TikTok videos and you’ll quickly land on a seller showing off clothes, shoes, bags, beauty products, accessories or electronics. Some no longer stop at posting a video: they go live, show their stock in real time, answer questions and take orders right in front of their phone.
In Cameroon, live selling on TikTok appears to be steadily gaining ground. Behind the screen, sellers turn a living room, a shop or sometimes just a corner of a bedroom into a small trading space. Viewers watch, comment, ask for prices, haggle, and can sometimes buy from a seller they have never met.
Show the product, and the customer orders on the spot 📱
It’s 7 p.m., or a little earlier, and a phone is propped up in front of a pile of clothes. A seller holds a dress up to the camera, turns around to show off the fabric and announces the available size. In the comments, questions pile up fast: « How much? », « Do you have it in XL? », « Where are you based? », « Do you deliver? » and so on. The live turns a sales post into a nonstop conversation.
The process is simple. The seller presents the item. Anyone who wants it says so in the comments, then sends a deposit to the Orange Money or mobile money account shown on screen. (Mobile money works like a wallet tied to a phone number, and it is a common way to pay in Cameroon.) The seller confirms the deposit, then writes the buyer’s name on a ribbon and sticks it to the item to reserve it. Delivery can happen later.
« With photos, customers only see what you decided to show them. Live, they can ask you to turn the product around, show the fabric or try it on. It builds more trust, » says Carine Bea, a seller.
For merchants, the appeal is that a product isn’t just displayed: it’s shown from several angles, handled and discussed in real time. Some viewers may stumble on a live by chance, but the seller gains visibility because TikTok can push live streams to users who never went looking for them.
The seller doubles as a host 🛍️
Selling live takes more than having stock. You have to talk, answer quickly, hold people’s attention and keep the mood up. Some sellers greet newcomers by name or username, joke with their followers and build a sense of closeness.
« If you just stand there announcing prices, people leave. Besides, you don’t say prices openly on TikTok: you have to use codes, or sometimes switch to francanglais. You have to chat with the people watching, show the items and create a good vibe, » says Daniel Alega, a seller. (Francanglais is the blend of French and English that many Cameroonians use in everyday speech.)
Selling starts to look like a small, improvised TV show. The merchant is no longer just behind a counter: they become presenter, adviser and salesperson all at once.
Anything can go on camera 🎥
Clothing is especially well suited to the format. A dress can be worn, a pair of shoes shown from different angles, a bag opened in front of viewers.
But it doesn’t stop at fashion. Cosmetics, wigs, phone accessories, jewelry, perfumes, small appliances and household items can all be shown during lives. The live becomes a shop window that runs in real time.
« I can show ten products in an hour instead of making ten separate posts. And customers can ask their questions right away and get the details they need, » says Jessica Mang, a merchant.
Comments are part of the sale 😂
Live selling is also a show. In some streams, comments aren’t only for asking about prices. They’re part of the entertainment: viewers joke around, give each other advice or flag that they like a product.
« Even when I’m not buying, I sometimes stay and watch. People chat, the seller jokes around and eventually you can end up wanting something, » admits Pauline Kouang, a viewer.
One of live selling’s strengths is that a viewer can ask for a different color, request a closer look or say they want to reserve the item. People don’t necessarily open TikTok intending to buy, but a few minutes of watching can turn them into customers.
Some shoppers prefer to buy live 💬
For buyers, live video brings a sense of closeness. They can see the product in motion, ask questions and watch how the seller reacts. Unlike a carefully chosen photo, a live stream sometimes feels like discovering the item unfiltered.
« When someone shows the product live, you can ask right away if it comes in black, what size it is, or how it works. It’s easier than sending a bunch of messages, » says another shopper.
That interaction can also make you feel you know the person selling. But closeness is no guarantee that what arrives will match what was shown.
When a live stream isn’t enough to build trust ⚠️
The rise of live selling says nothing about how trustworthy the person behind the screen really is. A seller can pitch a product convincingly without having a physical shop. Some buyers may also find, on delivery, that the item isn’t what they pictured.
« Live can build confidence, but I always check the page name, the seller’s phone number and the delivery terms before paying. Besides, the whole system rests on payment, proof, delivery, » explains Marlyse Fongang, a customer.
For consumers, moving from a physical shop to a phone doesn’t remove the usual precautions. For some small merchants, TikTok offers an extra shop window without the need to open a new outlet. A seller can be at home, show her items to a few dozen viewers and take orders from customers in another part of the city.
« Before, we had to wait for customers to walk past the shop. Now I can go and find them directly on their phones, » says Monique Mballa, a merchant.
Tomorrow, will we buy just by watching a video? 📲
With live selling, commerce is picking up the codes of a platform originally built for short videos. You have to grab attention fast, speak plainly, engage with the comments and give people a reason to stay for the next product.
The seller who succeeds is no longer just the one with good stock: they also have to know how to captivate an audience. For some, that shift is an opportunity. For others, it means merchants must also become content creators.
The spread of live selling shows, above all, that Cameroonian commerce keeps looking for new ways to meet its customers. Yesterday, you had to draw someone in front of a shop. Today, it can be enough to draw them into a live.
A dress modeled for the camera, a phone tested on screen or a beauty product shown for a few minutes can turn an ordinary TikTok user into a potential customer. The shop hasn’t disappeared. It has simply started to move into the phone.
Your turn!
Have you ever bought something after spotting it on a TikTok live? Happy with it, or disappointed? Tell us in the comments.
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