How to order on Kola
Follow these steps to browse shops, place orders, pay, and track your deliveries, all through WhatsApp chat.
Say hello
Start a conversation with the Kola bot on WhatsApp.
Kola Bothi / helloThe bot greets you and shows what you can do: browse shops, check orders, or get help.
“hey”“good morning”“howdy”startTakes you back to the main menu so you can pick a new action from scratch.
“home”“kola”“hi kola”backReturns to the previous screen, e.g. from a shop's menu back to the shop list.
“go back”“previous”what can you doThe bot explains what Kola is, how ordering works, and the key commands to get started.
“what is this”“what is kola”“how it works”
Find a shop
Browse shops, search by name, or open a shop link / QR code a merchant shared with you.
Kola BotbrowseShows a numbered list of available shops. Tap a number to enter that shop.
“shops”“view shops”“check shops”“see stores”find <query>Searches shops and products by name, e.g. "find jollof" returns shops that sell jollof rice.
“find jollof”“find pizza”“find mama's kitchen”go to <shop>Opens a specific shop directly by name. No need to browse first.
“go to mama's kitchen”“open juicelab”Send a shop linkPaste a kola.shop link, snap a QR code, or send a picture of one. The bot opens that shop automatically.
“snap the shop QR code”“send a picture of the QR”“paste kola.shop/mama-kitchen”
Browse the menu
View what a shop sells, pick items by number, or ask about a specific product.
Kola BotmenuShows the shop's full product list with prices. Each item gets a number you can tap or type.
“what do you sell”“show me your products”“products”1, 2, 3…Selects an item from the menu by its number. The bot adds it to your order.
“type a number from the list”view <product>Shows full details for a specific product, including description, price, and photo if available.
“show me jollof rice”“how much is pepper soup”“? jollof”
Place your order
Add items to your order, confirm, reorder a previous order, or cancel.
Kola BotorderReviews your current items and totals, then asks you to confirm. Once confirmed, payment details are sent.
“place order”“confirm”“yes”“ok”2x3Adds a specific quantity of an item in one message, e.g. "2x3" adds 2 of item 3 to your order.
“3x1”“order 2 of item 3”“I want 2 jollof”reorderRepeats your last order from the same shop, same items and same quantities. Quick re-buy.
“repeat order”“same as last”“order again”cancelCancels your current order before it's confirmed. You can also cancel a specific order by number.
“abort”“cancel all”“cancel KO-XXXX”“no”
Pay
After your order is confirmed, the bot sends you a bank account to transfer to. Let it know once you've paid.
Kola BotI paidTells the bot you've made the transfer. It reassures you and shows the order status. Payment is confirmed automatically by the bank, not by this message.
“I've sent the money”“payment sent”“I have paid”I don paySame as "I paid" but in Pidgin. The bot understands both English and Pidgin phrasing.
“money don go”“don pay”“I don transfer”
Track your delivery
Check where your order is, view past orders, or see shops you've bought from.
Kola BotstatusShows your most recent order's live status: pending, accepted, dispatched, or delivered.
“order status”“where's my order”“track order”my ordersLists all your past and current orders with their status, items, and totals.
“show me my orders”“my purchases”“what have I ordered”my vendorsShows shops you've ordered from before, sorted by how often. Quick way to re-visit a shop.
“my sellers”“who do I buy from”
Pay bills & connect bank
Buy airtime, data, pay for electricity or cable, and set up direct debit for faster payments.
Kola BotbillsOpens the bills menu with categories: Airtime, Data, Electricity, Cable TV, Betting, and Education.
“pay bill”“my bills”“vas”buy airtime <amount> <phone>Sends airtime instantly, e.g. "buy airtime 500 08012345678" sends ₦500 airtime to that number.
“buy data 500 08012345678”“buy airtime 100 08012345678”connect bankLinks your bank account for direct debit so you can pay for orders and bills without manual transfers.
“link my bank”“direct debit”“enable direct debit”disconnect bankRemoves your direct debit mandate. You'll go back to paying via bank transfer.
“cancel direct debit”“unlink my bank”
Save favorites & get help
Save shops you love, file complaints about orders, or talk to a human.
Kola BotfavoriteSaves the shop you're currently viewing to your favorites list for quick access later.
“fav”“save”favoritesShows all your saved shops. Tap one to jump straight into it.
“favs”“my favourites”“saved shops”unfavoriteRemoves a shop from your favorites list.
“unfav”“forget”helpShows a menu of key commands and links to guides. Also has an off-ramp to reach a human if you're stuck.
“?”“commands”“guides”“how do I…”complaintOpens the complaint flow. The bot asks which order and what went wrong, then files it with the merchant.
“I want to complain”“lodge a complaint”“report a problem”“issue”supportConnects you to a human support agent from the Kola team for issues the bot can't resolve.
“talk to a person”“I want a human”“escalate”“customer service”sell on kolaStarts the merchant onboarding flow. The bot walks you through setting up your own shop on Kola.
“become a merchant”“I want to sell”“open a shop”