Where shopping meets chat, and Africa leads the retail revolution
As Africa’s digital economy accelerates, Nile has officially launched as the continent’s first dedicated social e-tailer, transforming how people discover, connect, and shop online.
Nile is built from the ground up for Africa’s mobile-first reality. It brings the full shopping journey – from discovery to checkout – directly into WhatsApp and Instagram DMs, where most Africans already spend their time.
When a shopper clicks a Nile link from social media, they enter a chat with Sabrina, Nile’s AI-powered shopping assistant, who helps them explore products, answer questions, and complete secure payments all within one conversation.
Nile makes shopping feel as natural as messaging a friend. When a brand and creator link their videos on Nile, it provides end-to-end sales attribution, giving brands real data on how every creator and campaign converts which is a first for Africa’s creator economy.
“Our mission with Nile is to unlock a new retail era for Africa – one where social media becomes the mall, and creators become the merchants,” says Joy Des Fountain, Founder and CEO of Nile. “The creator economy here is vibrant, but the missing piece has been scalable infrastructure that allows creators to turn engagement into income. Nile builds that bridge, making content instantly shoppable and conversation a powerful new sales channel.”
The timing is critical. Africa’s social commerce market is projected to exceed USD 9 billion by 2030 (Africa Social Commerce Market Databook 2025 ), driven by social-first consumer behaviour. In South Africa alone, 93 % of internet users are active on WhatsApp (Meltwater, 2025), making Nile perfectly positioned to reach shoppers where they already are.
“This is the future of retail in emerging markets,” adds Des Fountain. “Fast, social, informal, and powered by conversation.”
Visit www.onnile.shop for more.
About Nile
Nile is reimagining how Africa shops, sells, and connects online. As the continent’s first dedicated Social e-tailer, Nile brings creators, brands, and shoppers together inside WhatsApp, turning everyday conversations into trusted, shoppable experiences. Built for Africa’s fast-growing creator economy, Nile empowers creators to monetise their content, helps brands convert engagement into measurable sales, and gives shoppers a seamless way to buy from people they know and admire. With a local-first approach and a mission to make digital commerce more human, Nile is pioneering the future of social shopping in Africa.
Visit www.onnile.shop for more.
About Joy Des Fountain
Joy Des Fountain is the founder and CEO of Nile, Africa’s first dedicated Social e-tailer connecting creators, brands, and shoppers through Chat platforms like Instagram Direct Message and WhatsApp. With a career spanning finance, technology, and social commerce, Joy has built a reputation for leading ventures that fuse innovation with human connection.
Before Nile, she co-founded myFanPark, a global creator platform, and later founded Aptivate which brought live and shoppable video to some of Africa’s biggest retailers and brands. Her vision for Nile was born from a belief that the future of African retail lives inside conversations where discovery, trust, and commerce meet. Joy is passionate about solving real problems and proving that innovation from Africa can deliver both purpose and performance.
