It's been six months since we launched Pesapal Sabi, our mobile PDQ and Point of Sale solution for businesses. Here's our journey so far.
Since we launched in November of 2017, it's been quite the ride, one that we have enjoyed immensely. Remember when we were anxious about how it would perform once we went to market? Well we are happy to report that we are doing well. Really well. It's been journey characterized by highs and lows but we are proud of what we have achieved.
The Highs
Sabi has received a lot of love from merchants across East Africa, particularly in Tanzania where we have seen the highest number of merchants take up the product. So far we have about 1000 merchants who are happy customers. Thanks to them, we are changing how they do business and collect payments. From tour operators to retail outlets, its been inspiring to see business make use of Sabi in a transformative way.
The Lows
While we celebrate how far we have come, we have to acknowledge some of the pain points we've experienced. First, getting merchants to understand how a non-traditional POS solution works was not easy. Explaining how a business can accept card payments via Bluetooth on a palm sized terminal was mind boggling for some. It required patience from our Sales team and lots of follow up from our Account Management team to get people to transact.
Secondly, going to market with a product that was for a long time exclusively offered by a bank was a big challenge. Some business were a little skeptical, but when the solution was seen to work, many of them came around to a young business offering a capable solution that works.
Lastly, access to Smartphones for cashiers is still a challenge especially in Uganda and Tanzania where Smartphone mobile penetration is still lagging behind. Getting merchants and business owners to acquire dedicated smartphones for use with the app is something Pesapal is looking into by partnering with Phone providers in East Africa.
We at Pesapal understand that taking a product is not a walk in the park. We understand because it is what we do everyday as we come up with innovative solutions that enable business across Africa process their payments more securely and conveniently. We share our journey with Sabi not only because we are incredibly proud of what we do, but to also inspire other business to keep going, to keep pushing boundaries and keep excelling. We hope you can join us on the Pesapal Sabi journey.
For more information on Pesapal Sabi, please visit our page here
