Retail & e-commerce · Tanzania

SMS for shops and online sellers in Tanzania

Tanzanian retailers, from Kariakoo wholesalers to online sellers taking orders on social media, use SMS to confirm orders, share payment details, tell buyers when a rider is on the way and run promotions for customers who signed up. SMS works when the buyer's data bundle has run out, and a branded sender ID tells them the message is really from you.

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Vodacom, Airtel, Yas, Halotel, Zantel Delivery reports From TZS 18.2819 per SMS

DukaBoraTransactional

Duka Bora: order #{order} confirmed, TZS {total}. Pay via Lipa Namba {till} or cash on delivery. Our rider will call before arrival.

138 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Tanzania context

What makes retail & e-commerce messaging different in Tanzania

Kariakoo in Dar es Salaam is the country's wholesale hub, supplying shops across Tanzania and neighbouring countries. Wholesalers who send stock and price updates to regular buyers by SMS save hours of phone calls.
Many online sellers take orders through Instagram and WhatsApp, then collect payment through an M-Pesa, Mixx by Yas or Airtel Money merchant number (Lipa Namba) or cash on delivery. An SMS confirmation with the order number and amount gives buyers a record outside the chat.
Shopping peaks around Christmas, Eid, Black Friday and the January back-to-school rush. Promotions timed to these dates work, but only for customers who agreed to hear from you.
Shops must issue fiscal receipts through an EFD or virtual fiscal device under Tanzania Revenue Authority rules, so an SMS confirmation complements the receipt rather than replacing it.

What to send

Messages retail & e-commerce teams in Tanzania send

Order confirmation with payment details

Confirm the order number, items, total and how to pay, whether Lipa Namba, bank transfer or cash on delivery. The buyer can find the message later even if the chat has scrolled away.

Payment received

When the merchant payment lands, confirm it with the amount and order number. It reassures buyers who paid before seeing the goods, which is common for online orders.

Dispatch and rider updates

Tell the buyer when the order leaves the shop, the rider's name and number, and a delivery window. Upcountry orders sent by bus can include the bus company and collection point.

Stock and price updates for wholesale buyers

Wholesalers can alert regular retailers when new stock arrives or prices change, using a list of buyers who asked to be told. Merge fields add each buyer's usual products.

Opt-in promotions and loyalty

Send seasonal offers and loyalty point balances to customers who opted in at the till or checkout, with an opt-out in every message and opted-out numbers blocked automatically.

Sample messages

Copy-ready templates for Tanzania

Character counts and segments are calculated with the same GSM-7 and Unicode rules used for billing. Replace the example brand and values with your own.

Order confirmation Transactional

Duka Bora: order #{order} confirmed, TZS {total}. Pay via Lipa Namba {till} or cash on delivery. Our rider will call before arrival.

138 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Delivery update Transactional Kiswahili

Habari {jina}, mzigo wako #{order} umetoka dukani. Msafirishaji {rider} ({namba}) atafika leo kati ya saa 8 na saa 10 mchana.

133 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Seasonal promotion Promotional Kiswahili

Duka Bora: Ofa ya Sikukuu! Punguzo la 20% kwa viatu vyote hadi {tarehe}. Tembelea duka letu Kariakoo au {link}. Kujiondoa: {optout}

137 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Loyalty balance Promotional

Duka Bora: you have {points} points worth TZS {value}. Use them at any branch by {date}. Opt out: {optout}

114 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Rules that apply

Compliance for retail & e-commerce SMS in Tanzania

A practical summary with sources, not legal advice. Check the regulator's current text for edge cases.

The PDPA gives every customer the right to stop their data being used for direct marketing. Send promotions only to customers who opted in, and honour every opt-out quickly.
Do not buy or borrow phone number lists. Contacts collected for delivery can receive delivery messages, but should not be moved onto a promotional list without consent.
Offers must be accurate. The Fair Competition Commission enforces rules against misleading representations, so the discount, end date and conditions in the SMS must match what the shop actually gives.
An SMS order confirmation is not a fiscal receipt. Issue the EFD or VFD receipt required by the Tanzania Revenue Authority as usual.
Order, payment and delivery messages are transactional. Offers, loyalty campaigns and new arrivals are promotional.

Across Tanzania

Telecom regulator: Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)
Data protection: Personal Data Protection Act, 2022, Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC)
Languages: Kiswahili, English
Payments: M-Pesa, Mixx by Yas, Airtel Money, HaloPesa

Sender IDs must be registered with each network. Networks now block messages from unregistered sender IDs, so register before you launch.
The Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 gives people the right to stop their data being used for direct marketing, and data controllers and processors must register with the PDPC.
There is no national do-not-disturb register, so you must keep and honour your own opt-out list. STOP and SIMAMA are the usual opt-out keywords.
TCRA has issued specific bulk SMS guidelines around elections, including content screening and record keeping.

Sender ID registration in Tanzania

Send it

From your system to Vodacom and Airtel in one call

1Create an account and copy a test key (esms_test_...) to try the integration without spending credit.
2Request your sender ID for Tanzania. Until it is approved you can send from the eSMS default sender.
3Call the send endpoint from your app, or upload a CSV in the dashboard with merge fields like {{name}}. Delivery reports arrive by webhook.

Need one-time codes? eSMS Verify generates, sends and checks them in two calls. Full reference in the API docs.

curl -X POST https://sms.esmsafrica.io/api/messages/send \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ESMS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "+255712345678",
    "text": "Duka Bora: order #{{order}} confirmed, TZS {{amount}}. Pay via Lipa Namba or cash on delivery.",
    "sender_id": "DukaBora"
  }'

Live pricing

SMS pricing in Tanzania

Per-SMS rates for one segment, updated live. Pay as you go with no monthly minimum; volume rates apply automatically by monthly spend.

Basic

TZS18.2819

per SMS· USD 0.0069

Monthly spend USD 1 - USD 1,000

Business

TZS16.9571

per SMS· USD 0.0064

Monthly spend USD 1,001 - USD 4,999

Enterprise

TZS14

per SMS· USD 0.0053

Monthly spend USD 5,000+

Estimate a campaign with the SMS cost calculator or compare all countries in the Africa SMS pricing index.

FAQ

Retail & e-commerce SMS in Tanzania: common questions

How do I build an SMS list for promotions?

Ask at the point of sale or checkout whether the customer wants offers by SMS, and record the answer with the date. A sign-up card at the till, a checkbox on your website or a keyword on a two-way number all work. Keep this list separate from delivery contacts, and remove anyone who opts out.

Can I send promotions in Kiswahili and English to the same list?

Yes. Add a language column to your contact file, then upload two versions of the campaign, or send one message that mixes a Kiswahili headline with key English terms. Kiswahili stays in the GSM alphabet, so it fits 160 characters per segment, but some emojis and curly quotes switch a message to a shorter 70-character segment.

Do I need a sender ID to message my customers?

Yes. Since June 2025 the main Tanzanian networks block messages from unregistered sender IDs. eSMS Africa registers your shop's name with Vodacom, Airtel, Yas and Halotel, which takes a few weeks. Until then you can test on the eSMS default sender.

What time of day should I send offers?

There is no published legal time window for SMS in Tanzania, so this is about courtesy and results. Many retailers send in the late morning or early evening and avoid sending late at night. Test a few send times on small batches and compare sales or link clicks before scheduling large campaigns.