A newly launched cloud platform will enable the traditionally cash-based informal enterprise prepaid retail market in Africa to sell more virtual goods and services electronically and enhance margins and competitiveness.

Enterprise payments platform provider Nomanini launched eLula, an upgrade of its flagship Lula terminal, at AfricaCom, this week, saying it unlocks enhanced payments and insight capabilities, while expanding virtual goods sales beyond electronic vouchers for prepaid airtime and into prepaid electricity and water vouchers, besides others.

The Global System for Mobile communications-connected point-of-sale (PoS) device provided merchants with analytics, insight into merchant network activities and sales predictions, as well as integration with key service providers.

“Our new dashboard drives efficiency for enterprise prepaid distributors, telling them which merchants are selling, where the sales hotspots are, which aren’t selling and why,” Nomanini CEO Vahid Monadjem explained.

The cloud-based eLula, which was accessible through desktop and mobile optimised sites, offered electronic voucher distribution, stock and cash management, vendor and terminal management, real-time sales data, sales predictions and remote diagnostics of terminals.

In addition to increasing access to e-payments for low-income communities without bank accounts in informal markets, the dual-sim PoS terminal was durable; water-, UV- and dust-resistant; and boasted a 1.2 m drop resistance.

Together, Nomanini’s flagship Lula and second-generation eLula targeted various segments of the informal market, dependent on their merchants’ requirements.

“A part-time seller with small use may use our Android platform, a seller on the street running between cars may use the Lula terminal, while physical shops and spazas looking to offer more than one type of service may prefer eLula. It is up to the merchant,” Monadjem said.

Nomanini aimed to eventually open the terminal up for other services, such as microfinance.