A Ghanaian technology startup has introduced an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to help businesses automate sales and customer service through WhatsApp.
The platform, called Relay, enables businesses to manage customer enquiries, process orders and receive payments directly within the messaging application, eliminating the need for a website or standalone mobile app.
According to its founder, Marvin Asamoah, the idea was driven by the increasing importance of WhatsApp as a commercial channel across Africa and other emerging markets.
“Customers don’t want to download another app or learn a new platform. They are already on WhatsApp, and that’s where they want to buy,” he told the BBC.
He noted that many small businesses spend considerable time responding to repetitive customer questions on pricing, stock availability and delivery arrangements.
“Business owners often become their own customer service teams. They are answering the same questions hundreds of times a day,” he said.
Relay integrates with a business’s WhatsApp Business account and uses artificial intelligence to automate customer interactions, including responding to enquiries, recommending products, confirming orders, collecting delivery details and generating payment links.
The company says business owners are able to monitor sales activity in real time through an online dashboard, with the option to intervene whenever necessary to manage customer interactions and transactions.
According to the startup, its first paying customer—a grocery delivery business based in Accra—signed up on the same day the platform officially launched in May.
Within just three days of operation, the company reports that more than 83 orders, valued at over GHS70,000 (approximately $4,700), were processed through the system.
“The first customer was able to go live within an hour,” said founder Marvin Asamoah. “They connected their WhatsApp account, uploaded their products, and immediately started receiving orders.”
Relay says its technology has been built specifically for markets where conversational commerce dominates and where traditional e-commerce adoption remains relatively low.
Unlike many AI-driven sales tools designed primarily for Western markets, the platform supports multiple African languages and integrates with local payment systems to reflect how businesses operate on the continent.
“We built this for the way commerce actually works in Africa and many parts of the Global South,” Mr Asamoah said. “People buy through conversations—they ask questions, negotiate, seek recommendations, and place orders through chat.”
With more than two billion users globally, WhatsApp—owned by Meta—is already widely used by businesses ranging from small retailers to large enterprises as a key communication and sales channel.
Industry analysts say the rapid rise of conversational commerce is opening new opportunities for startups that can simplify transactions within messaging platforms rather than traditional apps or websites.
Relay plans to expand into other African markets, including Nigeria and Kenya, while rolling out new features such as mobile money integration, demand forecasting tools, and enhanced business analytics.
For now, the company remains focused on onboarding businesses in Ghana.
“Ghana is where we are starting,” Mr Asamoah said, “but from day one we have built Relay for a global market.”