Official Platform Guide
Complete Feature Breakdown
An exhaustive walkthrough of every tool, storefront enhancement, payment option, marketing workflow, and AI intelligence system built into your store.
High-Velocity Storefront & Mobile App Experience
Engineered with modern fast-commerce retail patterns for maximum buyer conversion and zero-reload shopping.
Instant Quick-Add & Steppers
Shoppers add items and adjust quantities directly from catalog cards without full page reloads.
- Interactive + Add & live − 1 + steppers
- Strike-through pricing & -20% OFF sale badges
- Rich Product Detail Tabs (Overview, Specifications, Delivery & Returns)
3-Mode Catalog & Quick Chips
Buyers switch between visual retail cards, dense grids, or wholesale rows in one click.
- 3 View Modes: Standard Grid, Compact Grid & Wholesale List
- Horizontal Quick-Filter Category Chips & Sale/In-Stock toggles
- Filter by Category, Brand, Price & Star Rating (Pro & Enterprise)
Native-App Mobile Navigation
Over 75% of South African shoppers browse on smartphones. Shopnik feels like a native iOS/Android retail app.
- Sticky Mobile Bottom App Bar (Home, Catalog, Search, Cart badge, Account)
- Built-in Light Mode & Dark Mode toggle with WCAG contrast
- High-resolution multi-image zoom gallery & related products
8 Themes & 5 Header Layouts
Tailor your store's visual identity with 1-click theme presets or custom CSS/JS injection.
- Starter: 3 Curated Storefront Themes (Indigo, Emerald & Warm Boutique)
- Pro & Enterprise: 8 Curated Industry Themes + 5 Header Architectural Layouts
- Enterprise: Mega-Menu Navigation, Draft Preview & Custom CSS/JS
Free .shopnik.store Auto-SSL, Managed Email & Google SEO
Enterprise cloud hosting, authenticated email delivery, and automatic search engine indexing included in every plan.
Free .shopnik.store & Auto SSL
Every store launches immediately with a dedicated https://yourstore.shopnik.store address and automatic Let's Encrypt TLS/SSL encryption.
- Zero DNS setup required to start trading on Day 1
- 1-Click Custom Domain Switch: Bind your own
.co.zaor.comanytime - Automatic HTTPS certificate provisioning and renewal for custom domains
Managed stores@shopnik.store Email
Forget complex SMTP servers or DNS TXT records. Your store's transactional and marketing emails work out of the box.
- Displayed as "Shopnik on behalf of {Your Store Name}"
- Enterprise Azure Communication Services with full SPF, DKIM1 & DKIM2 authentication
- Direct Reply-To Routing: Customer replies go straight to your store's Contact/Admin email
Google SEO & Launch Center
Engineered so South African buyers find your products organically on Google Search and Google Shopping.
- Auto-generated
/sitemap.xml&/robots.txtfor Google Search Console - Schema.org
ProductJSON-LD rich snippets (ZAR Price, Stock, Star Ratings) - Built-in
/Admin/DocsOwner Launch Guide & Interactive 6-Step Readiness Checklist
Product Variants & Visual Swatches
Crucial for apparel, footwear, beauty, electronics, and multi-option retail.
Multi-Attribute Combinations
Create single products with multi-dimensional variations (e.g. Size: S, M, L, XL combined with Colour: Black, Navy, Olive).
- Independent Pricing: Set unique prices per variation (e.g. 64GB vs 256GB).
- Individual Variant SKUs: Precise tracking for back-office warehouse operations.
- Granular Inventory Stock: Prevent overselling by managing stock quantity per specific variant.
Interactive Hex Color Circles
Rather than generic dropdown menus, color attributes render as visual clickable swatches directly on the product detail page. When a customer taps a swatch or size pill, the page dynamically updates the active SKU, stock status, and price instantly.
Premium Cotton Hoodie
⚡ Available on Shopnik Professional & Shopnik Enterprise
Payment Infrastructure & Day-1 Immediate Launch
Start taking orders within minutes of launch with zero gateway onboarding delays.
Start Selling On Day 1 — No Waiting for Payment Gateway Approval
Normally, opening an online store requires submitting FICA documents, proof of banking, and waiting weeks for merchant accounts to be approved before you can take your first order. Shopnik eliminates this bottleneck completely.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
Customers place orders, inventory stock is immediately reserved, confirmation emails are sent, and your driver collects cash upon delivery.
Cash on Collection (In-Store)
Customers select in-store pickup, specify their phone number, and pay cash over the counter when collecting their order.
Paystack Gateway
Africa's modern online payments leader. Accepts Debit & Credit Cards (Visa / Mastercard), Apple Pay, EFT, and Mobile Money.
HMAC-SHA512 WebhooksPayFast Gateway
South Africa's premier gateway. Instant EFT across Capitec, ABSA, FNB, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Investec, SnapScan & Zapper.
Automated ITN VerificationCash on Delivery
Ideal for local deliveries and high-trust retail. Real-time inventory deduction and pending-payment order tracking in admin.
Instant Stock DeductionCash on Collection
In-store pickup option. Sets collection instructions, captures customer contact number, and marks order ready for counter pickup.
Zero Shipping FeesSlide-Over Cart Drawer, Wishlist & Checkout
A high-velocity, friction-free ordering pipeline designed to boost average basket value and eliminate cart abandonment.
Slide-Over Cart & Free-Shipping Bar
Adding an item slides open an instant right-hand drawer with a gamified Free-Shipping threshold tracker.
- Free-Shipping Progress Bar: e.g. "Add R150 more for FREE delivery!"
- 30-day persistent cart & Wishlist ("Save for Later")
- 1-Click WhatsApp Order Link option for conversational checkout
Flexible Promo Coupon Engine
Create viral discounts and seasonal promotions with fine-grained redemption constraints.
- Percentage-off (e.g. 20% off) or Fixed Amount (e.g. R100 off)
- Expiry dates, maximum overall redemptions, and per-user limits
- Restrict coupons to first-time buyers or specific product categories
Guided 3-Step Checkout
Clean, breadcrumbed checkout journey that guides customers without intimidating form friction.
- Step 1: Shipping address, PUDO locker or branch pickup selection
- Step 2: Delivery method selection (Courier Guy, PUDO, Express, Pickup)
- Step 3: Order review, coupon entry & secure payment selection
PUDO Lockers, Courier Guy, B2B Wholesale & Meta WhatsApp API
Built specifically for South African logistics networks, multi-branch retail, and high-volume trade distribution.
PUDO Lockers & The Courier Guy
Let customers choose between door-to-door courier delivery or convenient PUDO Smart Locker pickup across South Africa, with waybill tracking links sent automatically on dispatch.
Delivery Zones & Multi-Branch Pickup
Configure custom shipping tariffs by SA province (Gauteng, Western Cape, KZN, National Outlying) plus Multi-Branch Click & Collect across physical retail locations.
Wholesale Tier Pricing & Digital Wallet
Display automatic volume discount brackets on product pages, plus a built-in Customer Digital Store Wallet (store credit & refunds) and SARS VAT PDF Tax Invoices.
WhatsApp Cloud API & Packing Slips
Dispatch automated WhatsApp order confirmations and courier tracking alerts via the Official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API, plus 1-click printable warehouse packing slips & tax invoices.
Verified Customer Reviews & Star Ratings
Build buyer trust and convert skeptical visitors with verified customer feedback.
Verified Buyer Protection
Prevent fake or malicious reviews from competitors. Shopnik enforces that only customers who have completed a purchase of that exact product are permitted to submit a star rating and written review.
- 1 to 5 Star ratings with detailed written feedback
- One verified review per customer per product to prevent spam
- Dynamic star breakdown percentage bar and calculated average score
AI Sentiment & Review Summarization
On higher tiers, Shopnik automatically analyzes hundreds of customer reviews and generates concise bullet points summarizing what buyers love most and common fit/sizing observations.
- Instant pros/cons summaries on product pages
- Admin alert on recurring product quality complaints
- Catalog-wide filter by minimum star rating (e.g. 4★ and above)
Live Order Tracking & Customer Account Portal
Full post-purchase transparency and complete South African POPIA privacy compliance.
Live Tracking Timeline
Customers can check their order status in real time with visual status milestone cards:
Saved Addresses & History
Shoppers can manage multiple shipping destinations (Home, Office, Family) and access receipts.
- Multi-address book with 1-click default selection
- Complete order history with itemized VAT receipts
- Instant password reset via automated secure email
POPIA & GDPR Self-Service
South African data privacy compliance built directly into every customer account.
- Data Export: 1-click JSON download of all stored personal records
- Consent Preferences: Marketing opt-in / opt-out controls
- Account Deletion: Self-service permanent data erasure
Admin Back-Office, Docs & Staff RBAC
Everything you need to manage products, bulk CSV catalogs, warehouse dispatch, and staff permissions.
Product Manager & Bulk CSV Engine
Drag-and-drop multiple image uploads, compare-at sale pricing, low-stock threshold alerts, and 1-click Bulk CSV Export (all tiers) + Bulk CSV Import (Pro & Enterprise).
Order Dispatch & Printable Slips
Filter by payment status, send PUDO/Courier Guy tracking updates via stores@shopnik.store, reconcile COD cash payments, and print warehouse packing slips (Enterprise).
Built-in /Admin/Docs Launch Center
Interactive 6-step store readiness checklist and step-by-step documentation inside your admin dashboard covering domains, emails, gateways, and Google Search Console.
Interactive Sales Graphs
Visual 7-day, 30-day, and 90-day revenue trajectory charts showing peak sales days, average order value, and conversion patterns.
Top-10 Best Selling Products
Instant revenue and unit volume rankings identifying your star products and high-margin revenue drivers.
Multi-Staff & 4-Role Granular RBAC
Support 2–5 admin accounts on Pro, or Unlimited Staff on Enterprise with 4 discrete roles: SuperAdmin, StoreManager, FulfilmentClerk, and MarketingEditor.
CMS, Abandoned Cart Recovery & Email Marketing
Full control over store copy, banners, policies, abandoned cart recovery, and outbound email sales campaigns.
No-Code Content Management (CMS)
Update all storefront text, banners, FAQs, and regulatory policies directly from your admin panel without calling a developer.
- Hero Slideshow Manager: Add, edit, reorder, and activate promotional banners
- FAQ & Policy Builder: Manage FAQs, Terms, Privacy & Return Policies
- Announcement Bars: Top-of-page sticky promotion alerts
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Automatically detects shoppers who added items to their cart or started checkout without completing payment.
- Live Abandoned Cart Dashboard: See customer details, cart value & items
- 1-Click Recovery Emails: Send personalized reminder links with optional promo codes
- Recovers 15%–25% of otherwise lost online revenue
Branded Email Campaigns
Send targeted broadcast emails via stores@shopnik.store branded as "Shopnik on behalf of Your Store".
- HTML Template Library: Pre-built templates for New Arrivals, Flash Sales & VIP Promos
- Dynamic Personalization Tags: Injects
{CustomerName}and{StoreName} - SPF/DKIM Authenticated: High inbox deliverability with direct Reply-To routing
Shopnik AI Intelligence Suite
Enterprise-grade machine learning and Azure OpenAI integration built directly into your store.
"You May Also Like" AI Recommendations
Understands the semantic context of every item (fabrics, styles, brands, specs) to present 4 mathematically matched complementary items that increase average basket size.
24/7 AI Customer Support Chatbot
A floating storefront assistant that answers product questions, checks order statuses, explains return policies, and resolves up to 80% of support questions automatically.
Natural-Language Semantic Search
Shoppers can search using natural conversational phrases like "waterproof winter running jacket under R800" and receive highly accurate results based on intent.
AI Sales Forecast & Churn Intelligence
Predicts 7/14/30-day future revenues, calculates inventory run-out dates to prevent stockouts, flags VIP customers at risk of churning, and suggests optimal pricing margins.
Who Qualifies for Each Shopnik™ Package?
To guarantee optimal uptime, server headroom, and feature fit, each package is calibrated to specific operational scales, turnover thresholds, and team sizes.
Shopnik Starter
- Target Profile: Solo entrepreneurs, side-hustles, home artisans, specialty food, single-variant boutiques.
- Team Size: 1 Admin Operator account.
- Order Volume: Up to 150 orders/month.
- Catalog Type: Simple, standalone single-SKU goods.
Shopnik Professional
- Target Profile: Established apparel, footwear, cosmetics, sportswear, and multi-staff retail brands.
- Team Size: 2 to 5 Staff accounts with discrete role permissions.
- Order Volume: 150 to 1,000+ orders/month.
- Catalog Type: Multi-variant matrix (Sizes, colors, hex swatches).
Shopnik Enterprise
- Target Profile: High-volume retailers, wholesalers, franchises, D2C brands, commercial distributors.
- Team Size: Unlimited staff with 4-role granular RBAC across warehouse, dispatch, marketing, and finance.
- Order Volume: 1,000+ orders/month & peak holiday traffic spikes.
- Full AI & B2B Suite: Wholesale Tier Pricing, Digital Store Wallet, SARS VAT Invoices, WhatsApp Cloud API, 24/7 AI Chatbot & Forecasting.
Why Big Companies Cannot / Should Not Stay on Smaller Packages:
At >1,000 monthly orders or +R1M turnover, manual customer support tickets and inventory stockouts become massive cost drivers. The Enterprise 24/7 AI Chatbot autonomously resolves ~80% of repetitive order/product queries, while AI Predictive Forecasting safeguards working capital by accurately predicting stock run-out dates.
Complete Tier Feature Comparison
Compare every capability across Shopnik Starter, Professional, and Enterprise to pick the perfect plan for your business.
*.shopnik.store SSL & 1-Click Custom Domainstores@shopnik.store (SPF/DKIM + Reply-To)/sitemap.xml, JSON-LD) & /Admin/Docs| Feature Category & Capability |
Shopnik Starter
R349 / mo
|
Shopnik Professional
R699 / mo
|
Shopnik Enterprise
R1,499 / mo
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Target Business Scale & Tier Qualification | |||
| Qualifying Monthly Turnover | Under R100,000 / mo | R100k – R1,000,000 / mo | +R1,000,000+ / mo |
| Recommended Monthly Order Scale | 0 – 150 Orders / mo | 150 – 1,000 Orders / mo | 1,000+ Orders / mo |
| Admin & Staff User Accounts | 1 Admin Operator | 2 – 5 Staff Accounts | Unlimited (4-Role Granular RBAC) |
| Target Business Profile | Startups, solo entrepreneurs, craft/boutique shops | Growing apparel/retail brands, multi-staff SMBs | High-volume retailers, wholesalers, franchises & commercial brands |
| Cloud Domain, Auto-SSL, Managed Email & Google SEO | |||
Free Instant *.shopnik.store Subdomain & Auto Let's Encrypt SSL |
Included | Included | Included |
1-Click Custom Domain Switch (.co.za / .com) with Auto HTTPS |
Included | Included | Included |
Managed stores@shopnik.store Email (SPF/DKIM "Shopnik on behalf of Store" + Direct Reply-To) |
Included | Included | Included |
Auto Google SEO (/sitemap.xml, robots.txt, Schema.org Product JSON-LD) |
Included | Included | Included |
Built-in /Admin/Docs Owner Launch Guide & Interactive Checklist |
Included | Included | Included |
| High-Velocity Storefront UX & Catalog Features | |||
| Product Catalog Limit | Up to 5,000 Products | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Sales Commission | 0% (Keep 100%) | 0% (Keep 100%) | 0% (Keep 100%) |
| Instant Quick-Add ( + Add & − 1 + Card Steppers) | Included | Included | Included |
| Slide-Over Offcanvas Cart Drawer & Free-Shipping Progress Bar | Included | Included | Included |
| Sticky Mobile Bottom App Bar & 3-Mode Catalog Switcher (Grid/Compact/List) | Included | Included | Included |
| Curated Color Theme Presets & Header Architectural Layouts | 3 Curated Themes | 8 Industry Themes • 5 Header Layouts | 8 Industry Themes • 5 Header Layouts + Mega-Menu & Custom CSS/JS |
| Compare-At Strike-Through Pricing & Automatic -20% OFF Sale Badges | |||
| Variable Products (Sizes, Colours, Interactive Hex Swatches) | Included | Included | |
| Verified Customer Reviews & 1-5★ Ratings | Included | Included | |
| SA Courier Logistics, B2B Wholesale & WhatsApp | |||
| 1-Click WhatsApp Order Link | |||
| SA Courier Fulfilment (PUDO Smart Lockers & The Courier Guy Waybills) | Included | Included | |
| Wholesale Volume Tier Pricing ( Buy 5+ Save 10% / Buy 50+ Save 25% ) | Enterprise | ||
| Customer Digital Store Wallet (Store Credit & Refunds) & Multi-Currency (ZAR/USD/EUR/GBP) | Enterprise | ||
| Provincial Delivery Zones Matrix & Multi-Branch Click & Collect | Enterprise | ||
| Official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API Alerts, SARS VAT Tax Invoices & Packing Slips | Enterprise | ||
| Payment Options & Day-1 Trading | |||
| Cash on Delivery (COD) & Cash on Collection (In-Store Pickup) | |||
| Paystack & PayFast Gateways (Cards, Apple Pay, Instant EFT, SnapScan) | |||
| Day-1 Immediate Trading Readiness | Yes (Instant) | Yes (Instant) | Yes (Instant) |
| Admin Back-Office, CSV & Marketing | |||
| Bulk CSV Product Catalog Engine | CSV Export | Import & Export | Import & Export |
| Abandoned Cart Detection & 1-Click Recovery Emails | Included | Included | |
| Interactive Sales Trends Graph (7/30/90 Days) & Top 10 Best Sellers | |||
| Email Marketing Campaign & HTML Template Builder | Included | Included | |
| Hero Banners, FAQs & Legal Policy CMS | |||
| Shopnik AI Intelligence Suite | |||
| AI "You May Also Like" Vector Recommendations | Included | Included | |
| 24/7 AI Customer Support Chatbot Widget | Full 24/7 AI | ||
| AI Semantic Natural Language Search | Included | ||
| AI Predictive Sales Forecasting (7/14/30 Days) & Churn Intelligence | Included | ||
| Support & Guarantees | |||
| Uptime SLA Guarantee | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Support Channel & Response SLA | Email (48 Hours) | Priority Ticket (24 Hours) | Dedicated Account Manager & Priority Phone (4 Hours) |
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