# Email Marketing: Tools and Best Practices for the Congolese Market
Summary: Effective email marketing in the DRC comes down to three specific choices — a platform billed on actual sending volume rather than list size (Brevo over Mailchimp in most cases), provable prior consent as required under the Digital Code, and lightweight, mobile-first emails designed for a 3G/4G connection billed by the megabyte.
A market where email isn't the first instinct, but still pays off
In both Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, business conversations happen first on WhatsApp and social media. According to DataReportal's Digital 2026 report, the country had 34.7 million internet users at the end of 2025, or 30.5% of the population, up 3.2% year on year. Of that total, 10.4 million active social media identities are counted, and 79.6% of the country's mobile connections already run on broadband (3G, 4G or 5G).
That imbalance pushes many Congolese entrepreneurs to skip email entirely in favor of social-only marketing. That's a mistake, for a simple reason: unlike a Facebook page or a WhatsApp number, an email list belongs to you. It doesn't disappear if an account gets suspended, it doesn't depend on an algorithm, and it remains the most reliable channel for following up with a client, sending an invoice, or announcing a promotion at close to zero cost per contact — a real advantage in a country where mobile data costs weigh heavily on SME budgets.
What the Digital Code requires before you send a marketing email
Since Ordonnance-Loi n° 23/010 of March 13, 2023, establishing the Digital Code (Code du numérique), the DRC has had an explicit legal framework covering personal data protection and electronic commercial prospecting. Its Article 68 prohibits direct marketing by email, SMS or automated systems that uses the personal data of a person who hasn't given prior consent to receive it. Two points matter for any business sending email campaigns in the DRC:
- Silence does not count as consent. Article 68 says so explicitly: a lack of response cannot be treated as consent.
- The burden of proof sits with the sender. Again under Article 68, it's up to whoever originates the prospecting to demonstrate that the recipient consented — which is why explicit sign-up forms (double opt-in) matter more than purchased lists or contacts collected without authorization at a trade fair or event.
The Code provides two exceptions (Article 69). You may email an existing customer whose details you collected during a sale or service, about similar products or services, provided you gave them a simple, free way to object both at collection and in every message. And prospecting a legal entity is allowed without consent if the address used is impersonal (such as contact@company.cd). Outside those cases, a list of contacts pulled from business cards or a WhatsApp thread of prospects isn't a sufficient legal basis for a bulk email campaign. Every message must also give a valid way to ask, free of charge, for the emails to stop (Article 72). A form on your website, an explicit checkbox at checkout, or a confirmed opt-in email remain the safest routes.
Choose an email tool based on how you send, not how big your list is
Picking a platform matters less for its brand recognition than for its billing model, which has a direct, immediate dollar impact for a Congolese SME.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): billed on volume sent
Brevo charges based on the number of emails sent per month, not on the number of contacts stored. According to its pricing page, its free plan lets you send up to 300 emails a day, and its Starter plan starts at $9 a month, from 5,000 emails per month. That model favors a typical Congolese business: a list of several thousand contacts (clients, trade-fair leads, newsletter subscribers) that gets emailed occasionally — once to four times a month — rather than continuously. For most SMEs and service firms in the DRC, this is the more economical choice.
Mailchimp: billed on contact count
Mailchimp charges based on the size of the contact list, regardless of how many emails are actually sent. That model gets expensive quickly as a list grows, even if the business only sends a monthly newsletter. It still makes sense for a business emailing very frequently (several times a week) to a relatively stable list, but that's rarely the profile of a Congolese SME still building its contact base.
A professional domain comes before the campaign tool
Before even choosing a campaign platform, the priority for a Congolese business is a professional email address on its own domain (contact@yourcompany.cd) rather than a generic Gmail or Yahoo address. Google Workspace lists its entry-level plan (Business Starter) at €6.80 per user per month excluding tax on an annual commitment on its European pricing page, and the dollar price can differ by country — a modest investment that directly improves deliverability (an email sent from a verified domain lands in spam far less often) and the credibility a client perceives.
Design emails for a Congolese connection, not a desk in Paris
Most readers of your emails in the DRC will open them on a phone, often over 3G or 4G billed against a data bundle. That has concrete design implications:
- Keep the total weight of the email (images included) reasonable for a limited data bundle — a multi-megabyte email full of high-resolution images literally costs your recipient money before they've read a word of it.
- Never put an essential message inside an image alone. Many mail clients block images by default to save bandwidth; your offer or call to action needs to be readable in plain text.
- Single column, large buttons, legible type. Multi-column layouts designed for a desktop screen frequently break on the smaller screens still common in the DRC.
- Short, clear subject lines, free of special characters that trip local providers' spam filters.
- Test on Gmail and on the mobile apps your customers actually use, not just a desktop mail client.
Email doesn't replace WhatsApp — it complements it
It would be wrong to present email as a substitute for WhatsApp Business, which dominates customer relationships for most Congolese SMEs. As far back as June 2023, Meta said the WhatsApp Business app had 200 million monthly active users (CNBC). In the DRC, where messaging takes a growing share of mobile usage according to the regulator, the right approach is complementary rather than either-or:
- WhatsApp for fast responses, customer service, and order confirmations.
- Email for what WhatsApp handles poorly: invoices, formal follow-ups, longer newsletters, automated sequences, and anything that needs to stay archived and searchable for the client without depending on a phone number that can change.
Segmentation, frequency, and reading results honestly
A high open rate on paper can be misleading in the DRC: default image blocking and unstable connections often distort open-pixel tracking. It's better to focus on click-through rate and actual conversions (a call, an order, a booking) than on the raw open rate. Segment at minimum by city (Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Goma…) and by stage in the customer journey (prospect, active client, inactive client) — connectivity habits and needs vary noticeably between regions of the country. On frequency, one to two campaigns a month is usually enough for an SME just starting out — a welcomed email beats a flood that drives unsubscribes.
Automating without losing control
Once a list is built in compliance with the Digital Code and a tool is chosen, the next step is often connecting email marketing to the rest of operations: an automatic follow-up after an order, a welcome sequence, or syncing with a CRM to avoid contacting the same client twice through two different channels. That's the kind of work covered by our enterprise automation service, connecting email marketing tools to a business's internal systems instead of letting them run in a silo.
FAQ
Can I send a marketing email to a list of contacts collected at a trade fair in Kinshasa?
Not without explicit consent. The Digital Code requires prior agreement and places the burden of proof on the sender; collecting a business card isn't enough — you need a checkbox or written confirmation that the person agreed to receive marketing emails.
Which tool should a Congolese SME choose between Brevo and Mailchimp?
In most cases, Brevo, because it bills based on emails sent rather than list size — a more economical model for a business that emails occasionally to a growing contact base.
Should I invest in email marketing if my customers mostly use WhatsApp?
Yes, as a complement. WhatsApp remains the fast-response channel, but email is still essential for invoices, formal follow-ups, and anything that needs to stay archived independently of a phone number.
How do I improve email deliverability in the DRC?
Use a verified professional domain (via Google Workspace or equivalent) instead of a generic Gmail address, keep your emails lightweight, and avoid buying contact lists — Brevo's anti-spam policy prohibits purchased or scraped lists and allows it to suspend accounts that breach its consent rules, on top of the damage to your sender reputation.