Comparison
Selling on Instagram versus opening an online store in Algeria
An honest comparison between selling in Instagram DMs and a real online store in Algeria: orders, trust, delivery, costs — and what Instagram genuinely does better.
Instagram is how you get discovered; an online store is how you get paid. In Algeria, keeping Instagram for the audience and adding a store for the rest is the combination that works: a link in your own name, orders in one place, cash on delivery and parcel tracking. The two complement each other.
How we compare
We are not comparing Woven to Instagram as a product: we are comparing two ways of working — taking orders inside a messaging inbox versus taking them inside a store. Everything said about Instagram below is a general characterisation of DM selling, not a claim about the features of an app that changes constantly. Everything said about Woven is exactly what the platform does today.
What Instagram genuinely does well
Being honest here matters, because it is the reason you should not leave Instagram. It is the best place to be discovered: Reels and stories put your product in front of people who were not looking for you, with no compulsory ad budget.
It is also a powerful trust and closeness tool: comments, try-on videos and DM replies build a confidence no product page replaces. A customer who has seen you talk about your product buys more easily.
The problem does not show up at the start. It shows up when the messages pile up: the size asked three times, the address buried in a thread, the order forgotten because it arrived while you were answering someone else. That is an operations problem, not an audience problem — and it is exactly what a store solves.
Selling in DMs versus selling in a store
The Woven column describes what the platform does today. The right-hand column describes DM selling in general, on any network.
| Criterion | Woven store | Selling in DMs |
|---|---|---|
| Where orders land | A dashboard: every order carries a status, from received to delivered. | In your inbox, mixed in with personal conversations. |
| Prices, stock and sizes | Product pages with price, discount and per-size stock, updated once for every customer. | Retyped by hand in every thread, with the risk of selling a size that is out of stock. |
| Payment | Cash on delivery by default; optional online prepayment via Chargily, paid into your own account. | Agreed message by message, with no structured record of what was promised. |
| Delivery | Yalidine, ZR Express, Maystro and Noest integrated: the parcel is created and tracked from inside Woven. | Tracking numbers copy-pasted by hand, one per customer, in another app. |
| Proof you are serious | A product page, real customer reviews and a verified-seller badge after document review. | A bio, screenshots of chats and the seller's word. |
| Language | Store and dashboard in Arabic (right-to-left), French and English. | Whatever your posts use; every customer still asks for the details by message. |
| Measurement | Views, add-to-cart and sales per product, plus a Meta Pixel and Conversions API per store. | Story views and likes: useful for content, silent on what actually sells. |
| What you own | A link in your name, your catalogue and your order history inside your dashboard. | An account on a network you do not control, and a history scattered across chats. |
| Cost | A monthly subscription in dinars, with no commission on your sales. 7-day trial, no card. | Free in money, paid in time: every order goes through a manual conversation. |
How to decide, in four situations
Find the line closest to your situation. The answer is almost never to pick a side: it is knowing when to add a store.
IfYou sell a few pieces a month, to people you know.
ThenStay in DMs. A subscription is not justified yet; spend your energy on content instead.
IfYou retype the same price twenty times a day and you have already lost orders.
ThenOpen a store and put the link in your bio. You answer the customer, the store takes the order.
IfYou are running Meta ads and you cannot tell what they return.
ThenYou need a page where the purchase event fires: connect your Meta Pixel and Conversions API to your store.
IfYou want to be paid before you ship, at least for distant orders.
ThenTurn on online prepayment via Chargily alongside cash on delivery; the money lands in your own Chargily account.
Straight talk
When Woven is not the right choice for you
We would rather you knew now than after paying. In these cases, stay with what you are already doing.
- You do not sell physical goods delivered by a courier. Woven is built around a parcel, an address and a driver.
- You want to stay entirely free. After the 7-day trial Woven is a subscription: there is no permanent free plan.
- You expect the platform to bring you customers. Woven gives you the store and the tools; the audience is yours to build — often on Instagram itself.
- You need a different delivery price per wilaya. Today Woven applies one delivery fee per store, not a per-wilaya grid.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to leave Instagram to sell with Woven?
No, and it would be a mistake. Instagram stays your discovery channel: you keep posting, replying and showing your products. Woven takes over at the order moment, with a product page, a cart, cash on delivery and tracking. You simply paste your wovendz.com/your-store link into your bio and your stories.
How do I turn my Instagram messages into real orders?
Reply as usual, then send the direct product-page link. The customer picks a size, enters their address and confirms with cash on delivery; the order arrives in your dashboard with a status, and you create the carrier parcel from the same screen. You stop retyping addresses.
Can I sell with cash on delivery from an online store in Algeria?
Yes: it is the default on Woven. The customer orders online, opens the parcel and pays the courier on delivery. You set your delivery fee, follow each order's status, and you can additionally enable online prepayment via Chargily for the orders you would rather collect before shipping.
How long does it take to open a Woven store?
A few minutes: you create an account, choose a store name, add your logo and your first products with their photos, prices and sizes. No technical skill is required and there is nothing to install. The free trial lasts 7 days and needs no bank card.
Does Woven take a commission on my sales?
No. Woven is paid only through the store subscription. With cash on delivery the money goes from the customer to the courier and then to you; with online prepayment it lands directly in your own Chargily account. Woven is never in the money path.
Keep Instagram. Add the store.
7-day free trial, no bank card. Create your store, add three products and paste your link into your bio.