Introducing protected checkout for Nigerian social commerce

The problem BuyChat is built to solve

A huge share of Nigerian shopping happens in DMs — an Instagram post, a WhatsApp catalogue, a TikTok live. It is a real, thriving economy of small businesses. But it runs on one fragile step: the buyer pays a personal account before delivery, on trust. That single step is where money is lost to "collect and disappear" and "what I ordered vs what I got".

What protected checkout changes

BuyChat puts a neutral hold between buyer and seller:

• The buyer pays into a protected hold, not the seller's account.
• The seller delivers the product or service.
• The buyer confirms, and only then is the seller paid.
• If the order is wrong, the buyer disputes and their money is protected.

The result: fraud that depends on being paid up front cannot run, and honest sellers close more sales because the buyer's risk is removed.

For buyers and sellers alike

• Buyers get safety on every purchase — products, services, rides and stays — and can shop by chatting with Aisha, the AI shopping assistant.
• Sellers can list on BuyChat or drop a Pay with BuyChat link into any DM; they are paid the moment delivery is confirmed, and pay a commission only when a sale completes.

Plain language, on purpose

The mechanism is what some call "escrow", but BuyChat keeps the language plain: buyer-protected checkout. Your money is safe until you confirm the item arrived. That is the whole promise.

Read what buyer-protected payment is or how BuyChat protected checkout works.