Benin Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in benin, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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eCommerce
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General Overview

Electronic commerce is becoming more viable as public access to smartphone technology increases.  Broadcast, print media, and text messages are also useful.  The introduction and use of ATMs and credit cards by local commercial banks is enhancing business practices in the country, though most transactions are still done in cash, and even large businesses might not accept credit cards.  The two mobile operators have introduced a mobile money payment system that is gaining significant market share.  The existence of online sales portals and increased social media forum usage allows buying and selling activities thanks to an increased internet penetration rate of 67.36% according to the GOB’s Benin Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Post Office 2021 report, of which mobile internet accounted alone for 99.38%

Legal & Regulatory

E-commerce is enshrined in the 2018 digital code Nº2017-20

Consumer Behavior

Benin consumers and other businesses have started to accustom themselves to e-commerce. They buy and pay through their visa card and mobile money.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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