Question 1

What is Ekime?

Accepted Answer

One place to run your business: a till for the counter, your own online shop, your stock, your staff and your payments, on your phone, tablet or computer.

Question 2

Do I or my customers have to download an app?

Accepted Answer

No. Ekime works in the browser at ekime.app on any phone, tablet or computer. Your customers scan your QR code or open your link, with no app and no account. If you want an icon on your phone, use "Add to Home Screen" and it opens like an app.

Question 3

Who is Ekime for?

Accepted Answer

Restaurants, bars and lounges, bakeries and small chops; fashion, beauty and cosmetics shops, supermarkets, phone and gadget shops, pharmacies (over the counter only), cooking gas sellers and other shops; spas, salons, barbers, laundries, car washes and clinics. Your dashboard uses your trade's screens and words: a bar gets a kitchen screen and table codes, a supermarket gets barcode scanning, a salon gets an appointment book.

Question 4

I'm a small business. Is this too big for me?

Accepted Answer

No. You use only what you need. Many owners start with a shop link and the till, and add stock and staff later. There's no monthly fee, and cash and POS sales carry no fee.

Question 5

Is it like the delivery and marketplace apps?

Accepted Answer

No. With Ekime it's your shop, your link and your customers. You're also listed on the Ekime marketplace, but your shop page is yours to share anywhere.

Question 6

Who runs Ekime? Is it a real company?

Accepted Answer

Ekime is run by Ekime Limited, a Nigerian company registered with the CAC (RC 9895429), with its registered office at 26 Akinsanya Street, Ajao Estate, Lagos State. You can check it yourself at search.cac.gov.ng. Ekime Limited is also registered with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

Question 7

Where does Ekime work?

Accepted Answer

In Nigeria. Prices are in naira, and payments are by Nigerian bank transfer.

Question 8

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Nothing to join and nothing a month. Ekime charges a small service fee on each order paid through Ekime, from ₦60 to ₦350 by its size, and by default your customer pays it, not you. Cash and your own POS carry no fee.

Question 9

How much is the fee on an order?

Accepted Answer

On an order paid through Ekime: ₦60 up to ₦2,500, ₦100 up to ₦5,000, ₦150 up to ₦20,000, ₦250 up to ₦100,000 and ₦350 above. So ₦100 on a ₦5,000 order and ₦250 on ₦50,000. Paid in cash or on your own POS, it's nothing.

Question 10

Is there a fee on sales at my counter?

Accepted Answer

No. Cash, a card on your own POS and a transfer straight to you carry no Ekime fee, wherever the order came from. The fee is only on orders paid through Ekime: online, or by a payment link or invoice.

Question 11

My customers won't want to pay extra. Can I pay the fee instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes. One switch in Settings makes your business pay the fee, so the customer pays only your prices. You can change it back any time.

Question 12

Is there a monthly fee, or a fee per device or per staff member?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no monthly or yearly fee, nothing per device and nothing per staff member. Use it on as many phones and tablets as you like.

Question 13

Is there a setup fee? Do I pay the person who signs me up?

Accepted Answer

No setup fee, and nobody should ever charge you to sign up. If anyone asks you for money to join Ekime, tell us.

Question 14

What does it cost to withdraw my money?

Accepted Answer

₦0 up to ₦5,000, ₦10 under ₦50,000 and ₦20 from ₦50,000. The smallest withdrawal is ₦100, and the form shows the fee before you confirm.

Question 15

Are there hidden charges?

Accepted Answer

No. The only charges are the service fee on orders paid through Ekime (your customer pays it by default), the withdrawal fee, and the bank's processing charge when customers transfer to your shop's own Ekime account number at the counter (about 1%, at most ₦75). Promotions are optional. Everything shows in your Wallet, line by line.

Question 16

Do you add VAT?

Accepted Answer

Only if you switch VAT on; it's off by default. If you charge it, Ekime adds 7.5% on standard items to the customer's bill and gives each order a numbered VAT invoice, and the VAT comes to you with the sale. Ekime's own fee carries no VAT.

Question 17

What are promotions? Do they cost extra?

Accepted Answer

They're optional. A business can pay to put its shop or one item at the top of the Ekime marketplace, marked "Sponsored", with a report of views, taps and orders. Prices are on the Promotions page in your dashboard.

Question 18

How do customers pay online?

Accepted Answer

By bank transfer from their own banking app. At checkout Ekime shows them an account number for that one order. They send the money, and the order marks itself paid when it arrives. No screenshots to check, no "I've sent it" to chase.

Question 19

Can customers pay by card?

Accepted Answer

At your counter, on your own POS terminal, and your staff record it on the Ekime till so the sale is counted. There is no card payment online.

Question 20

Where does my money go, and how do I get it?

Accepted Answer

Online payments go into your shop's own Ekime balance, kept separate from every other shop, as soon as they're confirmed. You withdraw to your own bank account whenever you want, from ₦100 up to ₦2 million in any 24 hours. Cash stays in your drawer and POS money goes through your POS provider, as it does today.

Question 21

Who can withdraw? Can my manager?

Accepted Answer

Only the owner. No role can be given withdrawals, payout banks or payroll. Every withdrawal needs the owner's PIN and a check that it's really them.

Question 22

Can I withdraw on my first day?

Accepted Answer

Yes, once your business is verified. Your first bank account can receive withdrawals straight away. Any extra account you add later waits 24 hours before it can be paid, which protects you if someone gets into your account.

Question 23

Can my shop have its own account number for transfers at the counter?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each shop can get a permanent account number for walk-in customers to pay by transfer, and print a counter sign with it from the Wallet. Transfers land in your balance at once.

Question 24

Can I send a customer a link to pay, or an invoice?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Make a payment link for an amount or for items and send it on WhatsApp or Instagram, or print it as a QR code; each payment arrives as an order. Numbered invoices go by email or WhatsApp, with reminders on the due day and after.

Question 25

Can customers buy now and pay later?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for customers you trust. Set a credit limit for a named customer, sell to them as "Pay later" at the till, and Ekime tracks who owes what, with statements and reminders. Collecting the money is your risk.

Question 26

How do refunds work?

Accepted Answer

Open the order and press Refund, for all of it or part. Online payments are refunded from your Ekime balance; money taken at the counter you hand back yourself. Only the owner can refund, unless they give that to someone they trust.

Question 27

Can I see my sales and my profit?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Overview shows today's orders and takings. Reports give sales, tax and accountant downloads (CSV, Excel, PDF), Expenses & profit shows your profit and loss, and the owner gets a summary email every morning.

Question 28

How do I sign up?

Accepted Answer

Go to ekime.app/signup, or scan your partner's code. Type your name, business name, email and phone, choose a password, and confirm your email with a 6-digit code. Then open your shop. It takes a couple of minutes.

Question 29

How long before I can take orders?

Accepted Answer

Most businesses are live within a few hours: add what you sell, set up your shop page, add your bank and send your business details for checking.

Question 30

Why does Ekime check my business?

Accepted Answer

Ekime checks every business before it trades, to keep fraudsters off and protect customers' money. Until you're verified your shop page stays hidden and the till won't take orders.

Question 31

What do I need to get verified?

Accepted Answer

Your CAC registration number and the name exactly as on the certificate, and the name of the owner or director with an ID number (NIN, BVN, passport, driver's licence or voter's card). A pharmacy, gas seller or clinic also gives its licence number.

Question 32

I'm not registered with the CAC. Can I still use Ekime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Send your ID and say you're not registered yet. You can trade for six months while you register, and Ekime reminds you weekly. You can also apply for CAC registration through Ekime's registration agent from your dashboard.

Question 33

Can someone set it up for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes. An Ekime partner can sit with you and set it up on your own phone. You type your own password; nobody else ever needs it. The guides and how-to videos on this page show every step too.

Question 34

I have more than one branch. Do I sign up twice?

Accepted Answer

No. Open your first shop, then use "Add a store" for each branch. Each branch has its own items, staff, wallet and verification, and you see them all side by side.

Question 35

Can I close my account later?

Accepted Answer

Yes, whenever you like. There's no contract and no monthly fee to cancel. Withdraw your money first, and download your orders, items and customers as spreadsheets at any time.

Question 36

Where do orders come from?

Accepted Answer

Your counter (the till), your shop page and the marketplace, the QR code on each table, payment links, invoices and bookings. Every order lands on one board, marked with where it came from.

Question 37

Will I hear when an order comes in?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each phone or tablet can ring and show a notification for new orders, even with Ekime closed. Each person chooses what they're alerted about. On an iPhone, add Ekime to the Home Screen from Safari first.

Question 38

How does it stop staff stealing?

Accepted Answer

Every sale is recorded with who made it and how it was paid, and comes off your stock by itself, so you see what you should have left even when you're not there. Cashiers can count their drawer blind, each person signs in as themselves and sees only what their job needs, and an activity log shows who changed what.

Question 39

Can I track my stock?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Type how many you have; each sale counts it down and each delivery counts it up. At zero it shows sold out by itself, and you get an alert when it's running low. Expiry dates, suppliers and purchase orders are there too.

Question 40

Can my staff use it?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Invite each person by email with a role, such as manager, cashier, waiter or chef (the names follow your trade). Each signs in as themselves and sees only what their role allows. There's no charge per staff member.

Question 41

Can customers book appointments or tables?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Customers book a service, a person and a free time on your shop page, and you see a day book with a column for each person. You can ask for a deposit to stop no-shows. Restaurants can take table bookings with a waitlist.

Question 42

Do you do delivery?

Accepted Answer

Ekime books delivery companies for you; we don't have our own riders. The customer chooses a delivery company and its price at checkout. You can also use your own riders with your own delivery areas and fees, or offer pickup only.

Question 43

Can I print receipts and kitchen tickets?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on 80mm or 58mm receipt rolls or A4: kitchen tickets, bills, receipts and end-of-day reports. Any printer your device can print to will work.

Question 44

What if the internet goes off?

Accepted Answer

The till keeps selling offline, for cash and for transfers the customer shows you, as long as it was opened online first. The sales send themselves when the connection comes back.

Question 45

Is my money safe?

Accepted Answer

Your balance is held in your shop's own account, separate from other shops and from Ekime's money. Only the owner can withdraw, with a PIN and a check that it's really them. You're emailed whenever a bank account is added, and new accounts wait 24 hours before they can be paid.

Question 46

Will Ekime ever ask for my password or PIN?

Accepted Answer

Never. Ekime, its staff and its partners will never ask for your password, your PIN or a code sent to your phone or email, and a partner never collects money from you.

Question 47

How do I know the person in front of me is from Ekime?

Accepted Answer

Every Ekime staff member and partner carries an ID card. Scan the QR code on the back: a green page with their name means they're genuine.

Question 48

Is my customers' information safe?

Accepted Answer

Ekime Limited is registered with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission. Your customers' details are used only to run your orders, Ekime doesn't sell them to anyone, and how we handle them is set out at ekime.app/privacy.

Question 49

Who owns my data? Can I take it with me?

Accepted Answer

Your business data is yours. Download your orders, items and customers as spreadsheets whenever you like.

Question 50

What if something goes wrong?

Accepted Answer

Open Help & support in your dashboard, call or WhatsApp +234 813 786 9963, call +234 712 023 6146, or email hello@ekime.app. If you have an Ekime partner, they're your first call for "how do I…".

Question 51

What is an Ekime partner?

Accepted Answer

Somebody who brings businesses onto Ekime, helps them set up and keeps them trading, and earns a share of Ekime's fee on the paid orders those businesses take. Apply at ekime.app/partners; a person reads every application.

Question 52

Does a business pay its partner?

Accepted Answer

No. The partner's share comes out of Ekime's own fee. A business pays nothing extra for having a partner.

Question 53

How does a business get linked to a partner?

Accepted Answer

The partner's code goes in the "Referral code" box when the shop is opened, typed in or filled in from the partner's link or QR card. It can't be added by the owner afterwards.

Question 54

What does the partner who signed me up see?

Accepted Answer

Your business name, contact details, setup progress, number of orders and star ratings. Never your sales, order values, prices, balance or withdrawals, and a partner can't open your dashboard.

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