The verdict in three sentences
Cash-on-delivery reassures buyers but puts all the risk on the seller: in Accra it generates 15 to 25 % failures (2026 order of magnitude). Each failure costs you the round-trip transport, the restocking and the lost sale. Three levers — a mobile money deposit, an OTP confirmation and customer scoring — are enough to halve or third that rate.
What a failure really costs
A refused parcel is not neutral: the drop is already paid, the product returns to stock and sometimes gets damaged. Here is the anatomy of a failure on a 20 000 FCFA average basket.
| Cost item | Amount (est. 2026) |
|---|---|
| Outbound drop (courier) | 1 500 FCFA |
| Return / restocking | 1 200 FCFA |
| Support time (calls, follow-up) | 800 FCFA |
| Repackaging | 500 FCFA |
| Inventory tie-up (days) | 700 FCFA |
| Total cost of one failure | ~4 700 FCFA |
The deposit: the best anti-failure filter
Asking for a mobile money deposit (MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash, Wave) at order time removes non-serious orders. The rest is paid cash on delivery. The effect on the failure rate is immediate.
| Mechanism | Expected failure | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Pure cash-on-delivery | 20 % | Baseline |
| OTP confirmation by SMS/WhatsApp | 14 % | -30 % |
| 20 % mobile money deposit | 8 % | -60 % |
| 50 % mobile money deposit | 5 % | -75 % |
| Full prepayment | 2 % | -90 % |
Mini case study
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Ibrahim sells electronics: 30 orders/day, 20 000 FCFA average basket. On pure cash-on-delivery he takes 20 % failures, i.e. 6 failures/day at ~4 700 FCFA = 28 200 FCFA lost daily. By requiring a 20 % deposit (4 000 FCFA on MoMo), he drops to 8 % failure, i.e. 2.4 failures/day (~11 280 FCFA). He saves nearly 17 000 FCFA/day, over 500 000 FCFA/month, for a single payment button at the order step.
FAQ
Won't a deposit scare customers away? A minority, yes, but mostly the ghost orders. Net revenue rises because you deliver orders that actually complete.
What deposit amount should I pick? 20 % is the best trade-off in 2026: enough to filter, light enough not to block the purchase. On expensive items, go to 30-50 %.
Is OTP enough without a deposit? It helps (about -30 %) by confirming the number is valid and reachable, but it doesn't stop hesitant buyers. Combine it with a deposit.
How does customer scoring work? You rate each customer on their history (successful deliveries, refusals). Risky customers move to mandatory prepayment; loyal ones keep cash-on-delivery.
Should I refund the deposit on a legitimate refusal? Yes, plan a mobile money refund within 48 h for justified refusals (damaged product, error). Trust stays intact.
Let's talk about your project. We integrate mobile money deposits, OTP and scoring into your checkout to crush your delivery failures. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
