Why this article exists: Shopify and Wave do not talk to each other
Every month we get the same WhatsApp message: 'Mohamed, I installed Shopify but I cannot find Wave in the payment methods, what do I do?' Short answer: Shopify does not support Wave natively anywhere in the world, and Wave Senegal does not yet have a public API wired into global e-commerce platforms.
The long answer is this article. Because a fashion boutique in Mermoz we have been supporting since February 2026 installed Shopify + Wave in 4 working days, booked 12 sales the first week with a 28,500 FCFA average basket, and now runs at 80-120 orders per month with zero custom dev. Here is exactly how.
The two setups that work in 2026
Neither is perfect. Both are used in production by our clients. Pick based on your volume and tolerance for manual work.
Setup A — Manual Payment + wave.com/pay link (recommended to start)
You enable 'Manual payment' in Shopify (free, native), rename it 'Wave', and in the customer instructions you put the wave.com/pay/YOUR-NUMBER link with the exact amount. The customer pays on Wave, you get the notification, you mark the order paid in Shopify manually.
Pros: zero Shopify commission (beyond their subscription), zero middleman, the money lands directly on your Wave Business. Cons: it is semi-manual, you process every order by hand, and past ~100 orders/month it eats your day.
Setup B — PayDunya Gateway (recommended from 80 orders/month)
PayDunya is a Senegalese aggregator that accepts Wave, Orange Money, Free Money, Visa/Mastercard. They have an official Shopify plugin via their app in the Shopify App Store (search 'PayDunya'). You wire it in 30 minutes, the customer pays in one click, money lands on your PayDunya account, you withdraw to Wave or bank.
Pros: automatic, multi-method (you also capture OM customers), instant validation. Cons: ~2.5 to 3.5% commission per transaction, plus 24-72h withdrawal delay.
Real Shopify Senegal costs in 2026
| Item | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic ($29/mo) | ~17,000 FCFA | ~204,000 FCFA |
| .sn or .com domain | ~1,500 FCFA | ~18,000 FCFA |
| PayDunya fees (on 100 sales/mo, 25k basket) | ~75,000 FCFA | ~900,000 FCFA |
| Premium Shopify theme (one-shot) | 100,000-180,000 FCFA | one-time |
| Apps (reviews, shipping, etc.) | 0-15,000 FCFA | 0-180,000 FCFA |
Typical launch budget: 250,000 to 400,000 FCFA the first year, with a paid theme. Without paid theme: ~220,000 FCFA.
Real case: the Mermoz fashion boutique, 4 days to launch
Day 1 (Monday): signature, product brief, we collect 38 photos from the client. Sense free theme picked, restyled in emerald.
Day 2 (Tuesday): import of 38 products, copywriting, organisation by collection (dresses, accessories, bags).
Day 3 (Wednesday): PayDunya wiring (KYC validated in 6h), Wave manual method enabled as backup, Dakar shipping (1,500 FCFA) and regions (3,000 FCFA) configured.
Day 4 (Thursday): cross-tests (3 Wave test orders, 2 Orange Money), checkout fixes, going live. First Instagram post at 6pm.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Result week 1: 12 sales, 342,000 FCFA collected, 3.1% conversion rate over 387 Instagram visitors. Total launch cost: 285,000 FCFA excluding subscription.
The traps that burn weeks
Trap 1: trying to code a custom Wave connector. Wave has no stable public e-commerce API in Senegal. We saw three teams burn 4-6 weeks on this in 2025. Do not.
Trap 2: picking Shopify Plus for a starting boutique. Shopify Basic at $29 is plenty up to ~500 orders/month. Plus is $2,000/month, save it for when you really get there.
Trap 3: forgetting shipping in the checkout. If you do not show fees clearly, cart abandonment hits 80%+. We cover this in our dedicated Dakar shipping article.
Trap 4: not enabling the dual method (manual Wave + PayDunya). If PayDunya goes down (happens 2-3 times a year for maintenance), you keep manual Wave as backup. Zero lost sales.
When Shopify is not the right pick
If you have fewer than 10 SKUs and sell mostly via Instagram, stay on direct Wave links + a Linktree, it is free and enough. Shopify becomes relevant from ~20 products or if you want a real catalogue, collections, Google SEO, and a serious brand.
If you already have a working WordPress site, WooCommerce + Orange Money (see our dedicated article) will be cheaper and more integrated.
We install Shopify + Wave stores in 4 to 7 working days depending on the catalogue. Quote on /en/free-quote or WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
FAQ
How long to get Shopify + Wave live in Senegal?
Between 4 and 10 working days depending on catalogue size. The main bottleneck is PayDunya KYC (24-72h) and product photo quality. Our record is 3 days, on a 12-SKU store with pro photos already ready.
What is the exact PayDunya commission on Wave?
2.5% on Wave and Orange Money, 3% on Free Money, 3.5% + 100 FCFA on Visa/Mastercard. Monthly cap negotiable above 5 million FCFA volume.
Can I accept Wave international (Ivory Coast, Mali) on Shopify?
Yes via PayDunya which handles multi-country UEMOA. For manual Wave however, your customer needs the Wave app in their country and must send to your SN number, which works but not for everyone.
What happens if PayDunya freezes my account?
Rare but possible if KYC is incomplete or activity is flagged risky. Solution: always keep manual Wave active as secondary payment method, and have a parallel CinetPay account ready to enable (free to create).
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.
