Digital Business
E-Commerce & Online Business
Set up online stores, handle digital payments, and manage product delivery coordination.
Prerequisites
No prior experience required — open to beginners.
Certificate
Awarded by Rescue Academy on successful completion of the program's assessments and final project.
Learn Online — Live Classes
Register, receive your schedule, and join live instructor-led E-Commerce & Online Business classes on Zoom. Assignments, instructor feedback, and a certificate on completion.
Learn In Person
Attend E-Commerce & Online Business classes in person in Juba with hands-on labs, instructor mentorship, and a certificate on completion.
What You'll Learn
- E-commerce models, platforms and buyer trust
- Product photography, descriptions and catalogues
- Payments, returns and customer support
- Delivery, packaging and promotion
- Building Shopify or WooCommerce stores
- Inventory, fulfilment and retention
- Store analytics, funnels and conversion testing
Program Objectives
- Sell online through social commerce and online stores
- Create listings, policies and payments customers trust
- Run delivery, inventory and fulfilment reliably
- Market stores and retain customers ethically
- Measure performance and improve conversion
Who It's For
- Small business owners moving online
- Aspiring online sellers
- Staff running organisations' online shops
Where You'll Use It
- Retail and fashion
- Food, crafts and local products
- Distributors and wholesalers selling online
Curriculum
Instructor-led, practical training. Each level is a block of 4, 8 or 12 weeks; every module ends with a practical activity and an assessment, and every level with a project.
Module 1: Introduction to E-Commerce 10 h
Understand how online selling works and choose where to start. 3 lessons
Module 2: Product Listings and Store Setup 11 h
Present products with clear photos, descriptions and prices. 3 lessons
Module 3: Digital Payments and Customer Support 10 h
Accept payments safely and handle questions, complaints and returns well. 3 lessons
Module 4: Delivery and Listing Promotion 11 h
Get orders to customers reliably and promote listings to the right people. 3 lessons
Module 5: E-Commerce Platforms 10 h
Use WhatsApp Business catalogues and compare store platforms, and complete the level project. 3 lessons
Level project: Social Commerce Shop Launch
Module 1: Building an Online Store 15 h
Set up a store with products, payments, shipping and policies. 3 lessons
Module 2: Online Marketing for E-Commerce 16 h
Bring the right visitors to the store with ads, messaging and search. 3 lessons
Module 3: Inventory and Order Management 16 h
Keep stock accurate and get orders out correctly and quickly. 3 lessons
Module 4: Customer Retention 13 h
Turn first-time buyers into repeat customers and advocates. 3 lessons
Module 5: Store Analytics and Conversion 13 h
Measure performance and improve how many visitors buy. 3 lessons
Module 6: Store Launch Project 17 h
Launch the online store, run the campaign and review performance. 3 lessons
Level project: Online Store Build and Launch
Final practical project
Online Store Build and Launch
An online store on Shopify, WooCommerce or similar with 20+ products, policies, payments and shipping, operations procedures, a launch campaign and a four-week performance review.
Deliverables
- Configured store with policies
- Inventory and fulfilment procedures
- Launch campaign and results
- Performance review and improvement plan
Assessed on
- Complete, trustworthy store
- Realistic documented operations
- Targeted, consent-based marketing
- Data-based recommendations
Worked Examples
A selection of the visual, practical examples used in this program's lessons — each teaches a different skill.
- Before and after Improving a product listing The same handbag listed two ways on a social shop. Beginner · Module 2 · Lesson 2
- Troubleshooting tree Is this order safe to dispatch? Checking payment before an order leaves the shop. Beginner · Module 3 · Lesson 1
- Worked calculation What does one order really earn? Counting every cost in an online order for a 25,000 SSP bag. Intermediate · Module 3 · Lesson 2
- Data and chart Where shoppers drop out: a store funnel One month of store data shows the biggest leak is between checkout and order. Intermediate · Module 5 · Lesson 2
Free Course: E-Commerce Starter
A free introduction to selling online: choosing an approach, setting up products, taking digital payments, coordinating delivery and using catalogue tools such as WhatsApp Business. Free, self-study, about 5 hours — no certificate. The full program above is taught live by an instructor, with practical assignments, assessments and a certificate.
- 1Free lesson 1Introduction to E-Commerce
- 2Free lesson 2Online Store Setup & Product Branding
- 3Free lesson 3Digital Payments & Online Customer Support
- 4Free lesson 4Delivery Coordination & Product Marketing
- 5Free lesson 5Using Shopify, WooCommerce & WhatsApp Business
- Final checkQuick Quiz — E-Commerce Basics
Tools & Technologies
Primary Tools
- WhatsApp Business — Catalogue, cart orders and customer chats Practice: Social commerce selling and service
- Shopify — Hosted online store Practice: Store set-up, products, payments and shipping
- WooCommerce — Online store on a WordPress website Practice: Self-hosted store management
Supporting Tools
- Payment gateways (mobile money, PayPal/Stripe) — Accepting online payments Practice: Safe payment handling
- Google Analytics / store analytics dashboards — Measuring store performance Practice: Funnel and conversion analysis
Professional / Industry Tools
- Inventory and fulfilment procedures — Accurate stock and correct orders Practice: Reliable operations at scale
- A/B testing — Improving conversion Practice: Evidence-based store improvement
Career Opportunities
- Freelancer or remote worker
- Small business owner or e-commerce operator
- Project/administrative support role at an NGO or company
Practical Projects
- Launch a working online store or WhatsApp Business catalog with at least 5 real products
- Plan and execute a small marketing campaign to drive traffic to the store
- Design a clear payment-verification and order-confirmation workflow for a small online store, covering exactly what happens between "customer pays" and "product ships"
Problem-Solving Focus
Problem: A new seller wants to start selling online but doesn't have the time or money to build a full website first
Approach: Start with a WhatsApp Business catalog and social media, exactly as this program's own material recommends, and only invest in a dedicated store once order volume genuinely justifies it.
Problem: A customer pays for a product, but there's no clear system for confirming payment before shipping, leading to disputes
Approach: Establish one consistent payment-verification step — confirming a mobile money or bank transfer before dispatch — as standard practice for every order, not handled case by case.
Problem: Orders are growing, but stock counts kept in memory or a notebook are now wrong, leading to selling products that aren't actually in stock
Approach: Move to a real inventory tracking system as order volume grows, so stock counts stay accurate at the exact moment a customer places an order.
Problem: A store gets visitors, but very few of them actually complete a purchase
Approach: Diagnose the drop-off using store analytics — unclear pricing, a complicated checkout, missing trust signals — and fix the specific point customers are leaving at, rather than guessing.
Ready to register for E-Commerce & Online Business?
Register — Learn Online Register — Learn In Person WhatsApp: +211926196668 Email: rescueacademy26@gmail.com