How to get customers for online business in Pakistan

The first 100 orders do not come from one big idea. They come from ten small channels worked properly, one after another, by you. Below is the order to do them in, what to say, what not to do, and when paid ads start to make sense.

Where the first orders come from

Start close and move outwards. Each step uses what the one before it gave you:

1. People who know you, asked one by one.
2. Your WhatsApp status and the contacts who saved your number.
3. Daily posts on Instagram and TikTok, about one product at a time.
4. Facebook groups and Marketplace, where buyers already ask for things.
5. Photos, reviews and repeat orders from your first buyers.
6. Referrals and small creators, who bring people you do not know.
7. Small paid ads, on the post that already sells.

Ads come last on purpose. Money on ads before you know which product and which post sells is the fastest way to lose your starting capital.

Before you ask anyone to buy

You get one first impression with each person. Have these ready before the first message:

• A price on everything, plus the delivery charge. “Price in DM” loses people.
• Clear photos of the real product, and a short video of the best seller.
• Delivery time and area, said plainly: which cities, how many days.
• A return and exchange policy, even a short one. Our guide on return and exchange policy has one to copy.
• Cash on delivery, because a new seller with no reviews will not get advance payment from strangers.
• A store where people order, with every product, price and size in one place, so you are not typing the same details fifty times a day.

Friends and family, done properly

Most sellers do this badly: one status, one “please support my business” message to a group, and then they wait. Do it this way instead:

• Message people one by one, by name. Say what you sell, who it is for, the price and the delivery charge, in three lines.
• Ask for a share, not a favour. “Do you know one person who would like this?” gets more orders than “please buy”.
• Let them pay full price. Close family can have a discount, but a stranger who orders at full price is the test that matters.
• Treat them like real customers. Proper packing, booked courier, tracking number. They are your first reviewers and they will show the parcel to others.

WhatsApp status, lists and groups

WhatsApp is where most of your early buyers already are. Use it without becoming the contact everyone mutes.

• Status every day, not twenty a day. Two or three updates: a new piece, a packed parcel going out, a buyer’s photo. Put the price on the image.
• Broadcast lists, not groups, for updates. A broadcast reaches each person as a private message, and replies come only to you. WhatsApp’s help page on broadcast lists says only contacts who have saved your number get it, so ask buyers to save you when they order.
• Groups only where selling is allowed. Ask the admin first. Post once, with the product, price and delivery charge, and take questions in private.
• Make it easy to message you. The free WhatsApp order link generator makes a tap-to-chat link with the product name already filled in, for your bio and posts.

The WhatsApp Business catalog guide covers the business app, labels and quick replies, which save hours once messages start.

Instagram and TikTok content

Your followers are your friends at first. Short videos are how people who do not know you see your product.

• One product per post. Show it, say the price, say how to order.
• Show it in use. The suit worn, the lotion on skin, the bag carried. A flat photo sells less than a person using it.
• Show the work. Packing orders, the stitching unit, a parcel handed to the rider. This builds trust a new page does not have.
• Post on a schedule you can keep. A reel a day for a month teaches you more than ten reels in one week and then nothing.
• Answer every comment. “Price?” in the comments is a buyer. Reply with the price there, then message them.

The details are in our guides on selling on Instagram in Pakistan and selling on TikTok in Pakistan.

Facebook groups and Marketplace

Facebook groups are where people in Pakistan still ask “where can I get this?”. City groups, mothers’ groups, buy-and-sell groups, hobby groups for your product.

• Read the group rules. Many allow selling only on certain days or in one thread. Break the rule once and you are out.
• Answer questions before you sell. Someone asks for a gift for their mother, you reply with one suggestion and a price. That reads as help, not an ad.
• List on Marketplace with real photos, the price and your city. Reply fast, or the buyer moves to the next listing.
• Do not copy-paste the same post in fifty groups. Facebook and the admins both notice, and it looks like spam to buyers.

Turn first buyers into reviews and repeat orders

Your first 20 buyers are worth more than their orders. They give you photos, reviews and the next orders.

• Message after delivery. A day or two after the parcel arrives, ask if everything was right. Fix problems fast. A complaint handled well often becomes a review.
• Ask for a photo or a short voice note. Real buyers’ photos and screenshots of messages (with their permission, names hidden) work better than any caption you write.
• Put a card in the parcel with your Instagram handle, a thank you, and an offer for the next order.
• Tell them first about new stock. A buyer who was happy once is the easiest second order you will ever get.

The exact messages to send, and how to post replies with permission, are in how to get reviews from customers.

Early orders that get refused at the door cost you twice. The guide to reducing COD returns covers confirmation calls and the other checks to start from day one.

Referral discounts that do not eat the margin

A simple referral works well with a small customer base: the buyer sends a friend, the friend gets something off the first order, and the buyer gets something off the next one. Keep it simple enough to explain in one line on a WhatsApp status.

• Give a fixed amount, like Rs 200 off, rather than a percentage that grows with expensive orders.
• Reward after delivery, not when the friend places the order. A refused parcel earns nothing.
• Check your profit first. Put your price, cost and discount into the free discount calculator and see what you keep per order.

Small creators

Big influencers are expensive and their followers are spread across the country and every interest. Small creators in your niche and city are cheaper and their followers trust them.

• Look at their audience, not the follower count. Ask for a screenshot of their story views and where their followers are from.
• Offer product first. Many small creators take a product instead of a fee for an honest post or story.
• Give them a code or ask buyers “who sent you?”, so you know if the collaboration brought orders.
• Use the content again. With their permission, their video on your page often works better than your own.

Small paid ads, with a break-even number

Run ads once one product and one post already get orders without ads. Before you spend a rupee, know the most you can pay for one order and still not lose money.

Here is the math with the default numbers in our ad break-even calculator: a Rs 2,500 product with a Rs 200 delivery charge, Rs 1,200 product cost, Rs 50 packaging, Rs 200 courier, Rs 150 return charge, and 20% of parcels coming back.

• A delivered order leaves Rs 1,250 (2,500 + 200 − 1,200 − 50 − 200).
• A returned order loses Rs 400 (packaging, courier out and the return charge).
• Across 10 orders, 8 deliver and 2 come back: 8 × 1,250 − 2 × 400 = Rs 9,200.
• That is Rs 920 per order. Pay more than Rs 920 in ads for one order and you lose money.

These are example numbers. Put in your own, because your costs and return rate are what decide it. Then:

• Boost the post that already sells, not a new one.
• Start with a small daily budget you can afford to lose while you learn.
• Divide spend by orders after a few days. Above your break-even, change the post or the audience. Still above it, stop.

The first campaign, the settings and paying Meta from Pakistan are in our guide on how to run Facebook ads in Pakistan, and in Urdu, running Facebook and Instagram ads. What Meta bills you, the minimum budget and how to read a first test are in our guide to Instagram ads cost in Pakistan.

Count where each order came from

Ask every buyer one question on the confirmation call: “Where did you see us?” Note the answer on the order. After a few weeks you will know which channel brings orders and which only brings likes, and you can spend your time on the first.

Also count orders delivered, not orders placed. A channel that brings many orders that get refused at the door is worse than it looks.

Questions sellers ask

How do I get customers for an online business with no money?

Start with people who already know you, your WhatsApp status and contacts, a reel or TikTok every day about one product, and the Facebook groups where your buyers already ask for things. Then ask every early buyer for a photo and a referral. Paid ads can wait until you know which product and which post already sells.

How do I get my first customer online in Pakistan?

Your first customer is usually someone who knows you or someone one step away from you. Tell your contacts personally what you sell, with the price and delivery charge, and ask them to share it with one person who would buy. Make ordering easy and offer cash on delivery.

Is it fine to sell in WhatsApp groups?

Only where the admin allows it. Most family, school and society groups do not want sales posts, and repeated posts get you removed or muted. Ask the admin first, post once with the product, price and delivery charge, and answer questions in private.

How much should I spend on ads for the first orders?

Work out the most you can pay for one order first: profit on a delivered order, minus what you lose on returned parcels. Then run a small daily budget on a post that already gets orders without ads, and stop if your cost per order stays above that number after a fair test.

Should I give a discount to get first customers?

A small launch or referral discount can help, but check what it does to your profit per order first. A discount on the second order, or a reward for a friend who orders, usually works better than cutting the price for everyone.

How long does it take to get the first 100 orders?

There is no honest fixed answer. It depends on the product, the price, how big your network is and how often you post. Count where each order comes from every week, and do more of what brings orders.

Storelala is the Shopify alternative in Pakistan: your own store at yourbrand.storelala.com, cash on delivery built into checkout, no marketplace commission, and free to start with no card needed. Every order lands in one list and is booked with PostEx, Leopards or TCS from the order screen. Start your store and have it ready before your first message goes out.