With Africa’s informal retail sector accounting for a significant portion of the continent’s economic activity, technology platforms built specifically for local micro and small business owners are gaining renewed interest.
Zent, a new e-commerce platform that launched in May 2025, is the latest entrant in this space, positioning itself as a simplified solution for online retail in Nigeria and beyond.
In less than three weeks of launch, Zent has recorded over 1500 downloads, 1000 businesses onboarded, and facilitated the upload of more than 3000 unique products, 3.2 million dollars in inventory value, and over 7000 dollars in total sales recorded. These numbers signal early traction in a sector still underserved by complex e-commerce tools that are not tailored for the African market.
“We designed Zent with the realities of African business owners in mind, many of whom run lean operations and can’t afford complicated systems,” said Zent founder, Olamide Ahmed. “Our goal is to simplify their workflow and help them grow sustainably.”
Zent allows entrepreneurs to set up a mobile-friendly online storefront, manage inventory, receive payments, and track sales and customer activity from a single dashboard. But beyond simply hosting digital shops, the platform is doubling down on automation and analytics, a space often ignored in informal e-commerce settings.
According to him, one of Zent’s key differentiators is its smart business insights engine. Merchants receive real-time data on customer behaviour, sales trends, and product performance, enabling smarter inventory decisions and improved customer management and engagement.
“We want small business owners to think and act like big businesses with access to data, automation, and modern tools,” he added.
A Ripe Market for Disruption
There are over 39 million MSMEs in Nigeria and over 90 million in Africa, many of whom operate in retail and informal commerce. Yet, despite the size of the opportunity, a large percentage of sellers still rely on Instagram, WhatsApp, and manual bookkeeping for their daily operations.
A 2023 Mastercard report found that 58% of Nigerian MSMEs consider existing digital tools either too expensive or too complex for their business size.
“Most digital commerce platforms aren’t built for the nuance of the African business landscape,” said Tobenna Ugwunze, a Nigeria-based marketing consultant. “Zent’s approach appears tailored for the fragmented, cash-sensitive, and mobile-first environment that many small businesses operate in.”
Early Adoption, Long-Term Potential
Zent’s early user base includes fashion retailers, gadget vendors, beauty entrepreneurs, and various other small-scale enterprises. While many are first-time digital sellers, the platform also appeals to more experienced merchants looking to streamline customer communications and reduce order management errors.
“Even for those already using platforms like Shopify or Bumpa, Zent’s simplicity and local-first features could make it an attractive alternative,” Tobenna added.
At the core of Zent’s offering is a promise: helping African entrepreneurs sell better, without stress. The company says it will continue rolling out features in the future, including logistics integrations and marketing automation tools, to further enhance seller growth.
Though still early, Zent is entering the market with a strong message and a focused product. If it maintains traction and continues to solve real merchant pain points, it may well become a fixture in Africa’s emerging e-commerce infrastructure.
