02 Dec NjiaPay: The Payment Management Platform Reducing SA’s 30% Checkout Loss
For more than a decade, Luuk Winkens has worked in fintech, helping companies scale across African markets through better financial infrastructure. Today, as Head of Growth at NjiaPay, he leads the commercial strategy behind a platform designed to simplify and optimise online payments for South African businesses.
We sat down with Luuk to unpack what NjiaPay does, why it matters, and how the team is thinking about growth.
Q: Who is NjiaPay, and why are you sorely needed in this world?!
We’re the first all-in-one Payment Management Platform (PMP) for South African businesses generating revenue online.
That’s a bit of a mouthful, so I’ll break it down: Typically, businesses manage every PSP and payment method manually. This can take a single developer (or a whole team) months to set up and requires constant vigilance. And because nobody studies “payments” in school, specialist expertise is rare and salaries are incredibly high.
In contrast, NjiaPay starts at R999 per month. You can integrate multiple payment methods and PSPs on your website or app in one click. You also get real-time data on what’s happening across every transaction, including why they fail.
Q: Can you give us a practical example of how your product works?
Say you’re a Shopify merchant gearing up for Black Friday. You’ve spent the whole year getting ready. But the day you go live, you notice a disconnect between the traffic to your checkout page and the revenue it’s producing, but you don’t know why. Most likely, it’s a failure somewhere in your payment stack.
Of course, it’s not just Black Friday. This is happening 365 days a year. So you can imagine the impact. Based on our data, for every R1m in online revenue, South African businesses are losing an additional R300,000 (30%) due to failed payments.
We help store owners recover that lost revenue with:
- A conversion-optimised checkout with your branding
- Automatic payment routing that matches shoppers with the best payment methods instantly
- Multi-currency payments for global e-commerce
- Fraud protection that blocks suspicious transactions, prevents chargebacks, and reduces false declines
- Real-time analytics to identify trends in failed and successful transactions
Also, we don’t just work with retail e-commerce businesses. Talk360, a global VoIP provider similar to WhatsApp or Skype, saved R2.16m in 12 months after installing NjiaPay!
Q: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a startup?
Educating the market: “Payment Management Platform” is a new category, so we spend a lot of time explaining that we’re not a PSP, and then explaining how a PMP works.
I can’t repeat this enough: We… are… not… a… PSP!
I’m kidding, but our marketing team told me I have to make that clear to everyone. We operate alongside PSPs and other payment providers to identify the optimal solution for each business. However, we’ve improved our messaging, and once people understand the impact NjiaPay will have on their business, they’re often surprised. One recent customer nearly cried with happiness.
Building trust: Business owners and operators are often reluctant to trust a new entrant in the market, especially when it comes with a perceived additional cost. They want proof and verification, so case studies, referrals, and external validation have been key.
This is especially important in payments, as it’s such a critical part of any online business. Understandably, companies can be reluctant to incorporate a product that directly impacts their ability to collect revenue.
We pride ourselves on being partners, rather than just another platform. This means taking time to walk customers through the process, setting up direct channels for support and feedback, and getting to know their business inside and out.
For example, after Anytime Fitness went live and their billing manager began using our portal each day, she provided a lot of feedback. She now shares weekly ideas with us. That helps us improve our portal and helps her in her daily job. Win-win!
Q: Do you have any exciting company news to share?
We’ve been busy getting NjiaPay ready to support businesses throughout South Africa’s busiest shopping periods: BFCM, Christmas, Spring, Summer holidays, and so on.
The next few months are make-or-break for many companies. We can take on the pressure of managing payments so they can focus on running their business and keeping their customers happy.
We’re also expanding the team. In Q3, we hired Mike McLaren as COO, and he brings 20+ years of experience (most recently as the former General Counsel at Stitch). He’s helping us grow our South African operations.
Lastly, I can share a few customers we’ve recently onboarded: Melon Mobile, Anytime Fitness, and Conservio.
Q: What’s on your business growth wish list?
Short-term:
- Onboard hundreds of new companies in South Africa
- Grow our local teams in Cape Town and Joburg
- Continue supporting our clients (current and future) with all their payment needs and challenges
Long-term: We want NjiaPay to become the one-stop shop every online business in South Africa uses to manage, simplify, and optimise payments. Our goal is for online payments on every South African website or app to become as effortless as ordering a ride on Uber. And, as a result, we become like Cloudflare, Google, or Shopify; a core piece of internet infrastructure.
Q: What is your take on doing business in South Africa?
South Africa is Africa’s most advanced e-commerce market, but payments remain its Achilles heel. That’s both the challenge and the opportunity for us.
Cape Town’s ecosystem is vibrant, and Innovation City is the perfect launchpad. Being here means we can connect with a network of founders, investors, and merchants who are deeply committed to scaling African businesses.
We also have a growing team in Joburg. It’s an entirely different vibe, which I love. You need to learn to navigate both cities if you want to grow in SA.
Q: Where can people contact you or the company?
Shoot me a DM on LinkedIn or follow Jonatan Allback, our CEO, on LinkedIn; he’s the most active of us sharing company updates.
Of course, you can also book a demo here.