Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions across all SabiBooks products.
General Questions
Section titled “General Questions”What is SabiBooks?
Section titled “What is SabiBooks?”SabiBooks is a white-label business management platform built for Nigerian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). It helps shop owners track inventory, record sales, manage customer credit, and generate reports — all from their phone or computer, even without internet.
Who are the different users of SabiBooks?
Section titled “Who are the different users of SabiBooks?”| User Type | Portal | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Merchants (shop owners) | Web PWA | Daily business management — sales, inventory, credit, expenses |
| Partners (banks, payment providers) | Partner Portal | Monitor merchant networks, white-label branding, API integration |
What devices does SabiBooks work on?
Section titled “What devices does SabiBooks work on?”SabiBooks is a Progressive Web App (PWA). It works on:
- Any smartphone (Android or iPhone) via Chrome, Safari, or Firefox
- Tablets
- Desktop computers and laptops
- You can install it to your home screen for an app-like experience
Does SabiBooks work offline?
Section titled “Does SabiBooks work offline?”Yes. See the Merchant Guide - Offline Mode for details.
The Partner Portal requires an internet connection.
What language does SabiBooks use?
Section titled “What language does SabiBooks use?”SabiBooks is in English. It uses plain, simple language designed for Nigerian business owners. Some informal terms are used where appropriate (like “Simple-Simple, No Wahala”).
Is SabiBooks free?
Section titled “Is SabiBooks free?”SabiBooks has multiple subscription tiers:
Basic features for getting started. No cost.
Core features for growing businesses.
Full features including advanced reports and loan readiness pack.
All features plus multi-branch support and priority support.
Your partner organisation may provide SabiBooks as part of their service, in which case you may have access to premium features at no additional cost.
Merchant App
Section titled “Merchant App”How do I register?
Section titled “How do I register?”- Open SabiBooks in your browser
- Tap Get Started
- Enter your phone number, business name, and your name
- You will receive a 6-digit OTP via SMS
- Enter the code to verify your phone
- Set up your business profile (name, type, address)
Can I use SabiBooks on multiple devices?
Section titled “Can I use SabiBooks on multiple devices?”Yes. Log in with the same phone number on any device. Your data syncs across devices when you are online. However, be cautious about recording sales on two devices simultaneously while offline — you may need to reconcile when they sync.
How do I scan barcodes?
Section titled “How do I scan barcodes?”Tap the barcode icon on the Products page or during a new sale. SabiBooks uses your phone camera to scan product barcodes. You can link a barcode to an existing product from the product detail page.
What payment methods can I accept?
Section titled “What payment methods can I accept?”- Cash — For cash payments, SabiBooks calculates change
- POS Terminal — Push payments to Moniepoint, Opay, or Palmpay terminals
- Bank Transfer — Record transfer payments
- Credit — Sell on credit (requires selecting a customer)
- Split Payment — Split a single sale across multiple payment methods
How do I void (cancel) a sale?
Section titled “How do I void (cancel) a sale?”Open the sale from your sales history, then tap Void Sale. Stock quantities are automatically restored. Only business owners and managers can void sales.
How do I send receipts to customers?
Section titled “How do I send receipts to customers?”After completing a sale, you can share the receipt via:
- WhatsApp — Opens WhatsApp with the receipt
- SMS — Sends a text receipt
- Print — If a printer is connected
- Copy Link — Generates a shareable URL (works without authentication)
What happens if my phone battery dies during a sale?
Section titled “What happens if my phone battery dies during a sale?”If your phone dies in the middle of a sale, the cart is not saved automatically. However, if you had used the Hold Cart feature before your phone died, you can resume the cart when you restart (held carts last 24 hours). For completed sales, they are saved immediately.
How do I import products in bulk?
Section titled “How do I import products in bulk?”The API supports CSV import (up to 1,000 products). Download the CSV template, fill in your product details, and upload via the Import Products button on the Products page.
How do credit limits work?
Section titled “How do credit limits work?”You can set a maximum credit amount for each customer. When a customer reaches their limit, SabiBooks will warn you if you try to sell on credit beyond that limit. Set credit limits from the customer profile page.
What is the Loan Readiness Pack?
Section titled “What is the Loan Readiness Pack?”The Loan Readiness Pack generates a bank-ready document containing your business summary, financial metrics, profit and loss statement, and an affordability score (1-100). Banks can verify the pack using a unique reference number. This feature is available on Professional and Enterprise plans.
Partner Portal
Section titled “Partner Portal”For full details, see the Partner Portal Guide.
How do I log in to the Partner Portal?
Section titled “How do I log in to the Partner Portal?”The Partner Portal uses email and password authentication (not phone + OTP like the merchant app). Navigate to your Partner Portal URL and enter your credentials. If you do not have access, contact your SabiBooks account manager.
What partner roles exist?
Section titled “What partner roles exist?”| Role | Access |
|---|---|
| PARTNER_ADMIN | Full access to all features including API keys and webhooks |
| PARTNER_USER | Manage merchants and branding; limited access to API/webhooks |
| PARTNER_VIEWER | Read-only access to dashboards and merchant data |
How do I customise the white-label branding?
Section titled “How do I customise the white-label branding?”- Go to Branding in the sidebar
- Set your primary and secondary colours using the colour pickers
- Upload your logo (max 500KB, PNG/JPEG/SVG/WebP) and favicon (max 100KB, PNG/ICO)
- Enter your custom app name and support contact details
- Preview changes in the live preview panel on the right
- Click Save Changes
Your branding is applied via CSS custom properties and affects all merchants under your partner account. See Branding Configuration for the full guide.
How do I generate an API key?
Section titled “How do I generate an API key?”- Go to API Keys in the sidebar
- Click Generate New Key
- Enter a name, select scopes (merchants:read, merchants:write, analytics:read, webhooks:manage, reports:read), and choose expiration (30 days to 2 years)
- Click Generate
- Copy the secret immediately — it is shown only once and cannot be retrieved later
See API Keys for details on scopes and best practices.
What webhook events are available?
Section titled “What webhook events are available?”| Event | Trigger |
|---|---|
merchant.created | New merchant registers |
merchant.updated | Merchant updates profile |
merchant.suspended | Merchant suspended |
sale.completed | Sale transaction completed |
sale.voided | Sale voided/reversed |
payment.received | Payment received |
subscription.changed | Subscription plan changed |
subscription.expired | Subscription expired |
See Webhook Configuration for setup instructions and delivery history.
What does “at-risk merchant” mean?
Section titled “What does “at-risk merchant” mean?”A merchant is flagged as at-risk when they have been inactive for 14 or more days. The dashboard shows an alert banner with the count. Click the alert to see the filtered list and take action (contact the merchant, investigate the issue). See Merchant Management for details.
How do I test a webhook?
Section titled “How do I test a webhook?”You can test webhooks in two ways:
- Before creating: Use the endpoint test feature in the creation form to verify your URL responds correctly
- After creating: Click the Test button on an existing webhook card to send a test ping
Check the Delivery History to see test results including HTTP status codes and response times.
Accounts and Authentication
Section titled “Accounts and Authentication”I forgot my password (Partner Portal)
Section titled “I forgot my password (Partner Portal)”Click Forgot Password? on the login page. Enter your email address. You will receive a reset link. Follow the link to set a new password.
I am not receiving OTP codes (Merchant App)
Section titled “I am not receiving OTP codes (Merchant App)”- Check that you entered the correct phone number (Nigerian format: 080XXXXXXXX or +234XXXXXXXX)
- Wait 60 seconds before requesting a new code (there is a cooldown)
- You can request a maximum of 3 OTPs per session
- Check your SMS inbox (not WhatsApp)
- Ensure your phone has network signal
- If using a new SIM or recently ported number, wait a few minutes
Can I change my phone number (Merchant App)?
Section titled “Can I change my phone number (Merchant App)?”Phone number changes are not currently self-service. Contact SabiBooks support for assistance.
Payments and POS
Section titled “Payments and POS”Which POS providers does SabiBooks support?
Section titled “Which POS providers does SabiBooks support?”- Moniepoint (most widely used, ~40% market share)
- Opay (~30% market share)
- Palmpay (~20% market share)
- Kuda
- Other (manual entry for unsupported providers)
How does POS terminal integration work?
Section titled “How does POS terminal integration work?”When you select POS Terminal as payment during a sale, SabiBooks pushes the payment amount to your linked terminal. The customer taps or inserts their card. The terminal processes the payment and sends a confirmation back to SabiBooks via webhook.
How do I link a POS terminal?
Section titled “How do I link a POS terminal?”POS terminal linking is available via the API. You need your terminal ID from your POS provider. The web interface for terminal management is coming soon.
What is payment reconciliation?
Section titled “What is payment reconciliation?”Reconciliation compares your SabiBooks sales records with your POS provider’s transaction records. This helps identify discrepancies. Available via the API for up to 31 days at a time.
Data, Privacy, and Security
Section titled “Data, Privacy, and Security”Is my data safe?
Section titled “Is my data safe?”Yes. SabiBooks uses:
- Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all data in transit
- JWT authentication with token rotation for secure sessions
- Multi-tenant isolation — your business data is completely separate from other businesses
- Role-based access control — staff can only access features their role permits
- Audit logging — all administrative actions are recorded
Who can see my business data?
Section titled “Who can see my business data?”| Who | What They See |
|---|---|
| You (business owner) | Everything about your business |
| Your staff | Only what their role permits |
| Your partner (if applicable) | Aggregate metrics (GMV, transaction counts) — not individual transactions |
| SabiBooks admins | Business overview and metrics for platform support — not your individual sales data |
Does SabiBooks comply with Nigerian data protection laws?
Section titled “Does SabiBooks comply with Nigerian data protection laws?”SabiBooks is designed to comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR). Personal data is collected only as needed for business operations and is not shared with third parties without consent.
What happens to my data if I stop using SabiBooks?
Section titled “What happens to my data if I stop using SabiBooks?”Your data remains available for the duration of your subscription. If your subscription expires, your data is retained for a grace period. Contact support for data export or deletion requests.
Nigerian-Specific Topics
Section titled “Nigerian-Specific Topics”What currency does SabiBooks use?
Section titled “What currency does SabiBooks use?”Nigerian Naira (₦). All monetary values are displayed with 2 decimal places (e.g., ₦5,250.00). SabiBooks does not currently support other currencies.
What phone number format does SabiBooks accept?
Section titled “What phone number format does SabiBooks accept?”SabiBooks accepts Nigerian phone numbers in any of these formats:
08012345678(local)+2348012345678(international E.164)2348012345678(without the +)
All formats are automatically normalised to +234XXXXXXXXXX.
What timezone does SabiBooks use?
Section titled “What timezone does SabiBooks use?”West Africa Time (WAT, UTC+1). This is the same timezone as Lagos, Nigeria. All timestamps in SabiBooks reflect this timezone.
How does SabiBooks handle power outages (NEPA)?
Section titled “How does SabiBooks handle power outages (NEPA)?”- Offline mode keeps working when your internet goes down
- Data syncs automatically when power and internet return
- Battery-friendly — the PWA is lightweight and does not drain your phone quickly
- SMS/WhatsApp receipts — customers get receipts even without printing
Can I use SabiBooks with USSD?
Section titled “Can I use SabiBooks with USSD?”USSD support is not currently available. SabiBooks requires a smartphone with a web browser. However, SMS notifications and WhatsApp receipts work on basic phones for your customers.
Error Messages and Troubleshooting
Section titled “Error Messages and Troubleshooting””Network Error” or “Unable to connect”
Section titled “”Network Error” or “Unable to connect””- Check your internet connection
- Try switching between WiFi and mobile data
- If offline mode is available (merchant app), continue working — data will sync later
- Clear your browser cache and try again
- If the problem persists, the SabiBooks service may be temporarily unavailable
”Session Expired” or “Please log in again”
Section titled “”Session Expired” or “Please log in again””Log in again to continue. The merchant app tokens last 1 hour.
”Account Locked”
Section titled “”Account Locked””Wait for the lockout period to expire, or contact SabiBooks support.
”Insufficient Stock”
Section titled “”Insufficient Stock””Check the product’s current stock level. If you recently received inventory, add stock using the Stock Adjustment feature first.
”Credit Limit Exceeded”
Section titled “”Credit Limit Exceeded””Either:
- Record a credit payment to reduce their balance
- Increase their credit limit from the customer profile
- Use a different payment method for this sale
”Sync Failed”
Section titled “”Sync Failed””- Check your internet connection
- Open the Sync Status panel in Settings
- Review failed items — they may have conflicts (e.g., product was deleted while you were offline)
- Retry individual items or clear and re-enter if needed
”File Too Large”
Section titled “”File Too Large””Upload limits:
- Partner logo: 500KB max
- Partner favicon: 100KB max
- Expense receipt: 10MB max
- Product image: check the upload prompt for size limit
Reduce the file size or use a different image format (WebP is usually smaller).
”Invalid Phone Number”
Section titled “”Invalid Phone Number””Ensure the phone number:
- Starts with 0, +234, or 234
- Has 11 digits (local format) or 13 digits (international)
- Uses a valid Nigerian network prefix (MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9mobile)
Coming Soon Features
Section titled “Coming Soon Features”The following features were recently shipped: Expense Tracking, Reports Suite (sales, P&L, cash flow, inventory, loan readiness pack), Staff Management, CSV Import/Export, and Business Profile Editing. These are now available in the merchant web app.
| Feature | Status | What It Will Do |
|---|---|---|
| Notification Settings | In Development | Configure alerts for low stock, payment reminders, and other events |
| Theme Toggle | Coming Soon | Switch between light and dark mode (dark styling is in place; a user-facing toggle is coming soon) |
| Multiple Branches | Planned | Manage multiple shop locations under one business account with separate inventories |
Still have a question? Check the detailed guides for your portal:
Or contact SabiBooks support through the in-app help centre.