The case for a B2B ordering portal in Solwezi
Solwezi is a zambian town, with a population of roughly 91,000, and one of the markets in Zambia where we build B2B and wholesale portals.
North-Western Province mining centre — a business base that increasingly wants to sell online rather than through calls, messages and spreadsheets.
Zambia's mining economy and growing middle class are pushing retail online, and NNT Software has a local presence in Lusaka. Mobile money and Smart Invoice integration are key.
That is why more companies in Solwezi are moving from phone, WhatsApp and spreadsheet orders to a proper B2B ordering portal — one place where products, prices, payments, orders and customers are managed together.
Localised for Solwezi, not translated into it
Conversion in Solwezi depends on small local signals — the right currency, the right words and the right payment and courier names.
Currency and pricing
Everything a Solwezi shopper sees — price, tax, delivery fee, refund — is in ZMW, written the local way.
Language and content
Content can be produced in English, Bemba and Nyanja, so a Solwezi customer reads the store in the language they use at home.
Local trust signals
Trust is local: familiar names such as MTN MoMo and Airtel Money and Zampost sit next to the buy button.
Domain, phone and contact
A .zm domain (or your own) builds local trust and search relevance. Click-to-call and WhatsApp buttons use the +260 calling code so customers reach you without dialling errors.
A B2B ordering portal built around your Solwezi business
Your B2B ordering portal is planned, designed and coded for your business model — not adapted from someone else's — and it can ship with a customer or staff mobile app on day one.
In Solwezi we typically work with wholesalers, FMCG distributors, industrial suppliers and electrical and hardware traders, and with sellers in categories such as electronics and phones, fashion, groceries and mining supplies that have strong online demand in Zambia.
Before any commitment you get a free requirements meeting, a demo built on your use case and a proposal priced to your budget.
Core modules we build for Solwezi clients
Each module below is configured — or custom-developed — to your requirements. You choose what launches first and what follows in later phases.
Business accounts
Registration, KYC and approval, company hierarchies, branches, buyers and approvers with their own permissions. Catalogues come in from spreadsheets, ERP exports or supplier feeds, so your Solwezi team keeps its current way of working.
Contract pricing
Price lists by customer, group or territory, quantity slabs, pack sizes, minimum order values and negotiated rates. Payment steps are built around MTN MoMo, Airtel Money and Zamtel Kwacha, the options shoppers here already trust.
Quick and bulk ordering
SKU-code entry, spreadsheet upload, saved lists, re-order from history and scheduled repeat orders. Shipping rules can use Zampost, DHL Zambia and local courier services as well as your own delivery staff in Solwezi.
Quotes and approvals
Request-for-quotation, counter-offers, purchase-order upload and multi-level approval before submission. Multiple stock points in Zambia are supported, so a Solwezi order ships from the nearest one.
Credit and payments
Online payment, credit limits, pay-later terms, outstanding statements and payment reminders where approved. Reports show which products, customers and areas of Solwezi drive revenue.
Sales-team tools
Order on behalf of customers, territory assignment, visit notes and performance dashboards for representatives. Content and design can follow how customers in Solwezi search and buy, including English and Bemba where you need it.
Who we build for in Solwezi
Popular online categories in Zambia include electronics and phones, fashion, groceries, mining supplies, home and agri-inputs. North-Western Province mining centre — which shapes what local businesses need online. In Solwezi, we most often build B2B and wholesale portals for:
Wholesalers
We map how wholesalers sell today and digitise it end to end — from enquiry and order to payment, dispatch and repeat purchase.
FMCG distributors
For FMCG distributors, we usually start with quick and bulk ordering, then add accounting and e-invoicing once orders are flowing.
Industrial suppliers
Catalogue, pricing and fulfilment rules designed for industrial suppliers in Solwezi, connected to the systems you already use.
Electrical and hardware traders
Electrical and hardware traders get quotes and approvals plus sales-team tools workflows tailored to their operations.
Medical and institutional suppliers
We map how medical and institutional suppliers sell today and digitise it end to end — from enquiry and order to payment, dispatch and repeat purchase.
Dealer networks
For dealer networks, we usually start with business accounts, then add logistics and freight partners once orders are flowing.
Payments customers in Solwezi expect
Shoppers in Solwezi rarely abandon a cart over price alone — they leave when their usual method is missing. Here that means MTN MoMo, Airtel Money and Zamtel Kwacha, then Visa and Mastercard and bank transfer.
We integrate suitable gateways and providers for your business category and merchant eligibility, handle payment status, failed-payment retries and refunds, and keep sensitive card data with the provider rather than on your servers. All amounts are shown in Zambian kwacha (ZMW).
- Zamtel Kwacha
- MTN MoMo
- Airtel Money
- Bank transfer
- Visa and Mastercard
Delivery and fulfilment from Solwezi
Your B2B ordering portal can book shipments and share tracking with Zampost, DHL Zambia and local courier services, or route orders to your own riders and stores across Solwezi.
Delivery rules can price by distance, weight, postcode or zone, offer same-day slots in dense areas, and switch on pickup points or click-and-collect where customers prefer them.
Solwezi sellers: marketplace plus your own store
Jiji Zambia, Zambian online retailers and Facebook commerce are where many shoppers in Solwezi start, which is why sellers list there. The trade-off is commission, limited branding and rules the platform can change overnight.
NNT Mart gives you a channel you own: your domain, your customer list, your pricing and your brand. Where it helps, we connect product feeds and orders from marketplaces so stock stays in sync and your team works from one dashboard.
Compliance built into your B2B ordering portal
For Solwezi sellers, tax first: Zambian VAT is 16%, and ZRA Smart Invoice e-invoicing is required for VAT-registered businesses.
Customer data is handled with the Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021 in mind, and the storefront follows the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2010 and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 2021.
Controls we implement include compliant invoices, consent capture, policy pages, restricted staff access and audit trails. Please confirm the final legal and tax position with a local adviser in Solwezi.
Android and iOS apps for your Solwezi business
Phones carry most traffic in Zambia. A dealer and sales-representative app lets buyers re-order in seconds, scan products, check statements and receive scheme announcements, while reps take orders at the counter even with patchy connectivity.
Apps are published under your own developer accounts and share the same backend as your B2B ordering portal, so offers, stock and orders are always consistent between web and mobile.
Order alerts, offers and abandoned-cart reminders go out on Solwezi time (UTC+2), in English and Bemba if you want.
- CRM and lead management
- BI and reporting tools
- ERP (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Tally, Zoho)
- Warehouse and inventory systems
- Logistics and freight partners
- Accounting and e-invoicing
- Credit and payment gateways
- WhatsApp and SMS notifications
Integrations above are examples; we connect any system that offers a suitable API, database access or approved import and export process.
A phased launch plan for Solwezi
We launch the journeys that create value first, then add depth. A typical roadmap for a B2B ordering portal in Solwezi:
| Phase | What goes live |
|---|---|
| Launch portal | Accounts, contract pricing, catalogue, ordering and ERP order sync. Configured for ZMW, MTN MoMo and Zampost from the start. |
| Automate | Quotes, approvals, credit, statements and notifications. |
| Expand | Dealer and sales-rep apps, analytics and new territories. Reviewed against how Solwezi customers actually buy. |
We track order-entry time, share of orders placed online, order accuracy, days sales outstanding, repeat-order frequency and sales-rep productivity on a live dashboard from day one, so Solwezi results are visible, not promised.
How Solwezi clients work with us
Our team covers UTC+2 — 3h 30m behind India (IST) — through three 8-hour shifts, so a Solwezi client always reaches someone during the local working day.
We work in English and can deliver storefront content in English. NDAs are signed on request, and you get a named project lead plus direct access to the engineers building your B2B ordering portal.
Our head office is in Chhapi, Gujarat, with an office in Hyderabad and representation in Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia and Zambia; Solwezi clients are served remotely with on-site workshops when the project needs them.
