Payment Gateway: Storefront

Designing the Payment Gateway: Storefront is to create a seamless storefront for payment gateways that simplifies transactions for small businesses.

Project Overview

Project Name

Payment Gateway Storefront App

Role

Product Manger, Product Designer, UX Researcher

Duration

4 Months

Platform

Moblile

Background

Small and medium-sized merchants in Nigeria often struggle with fragmented payment solutions, inventory management, and customer engagement. The Payment Gateway: Storefront Mobile App was designed to provide an all-in-one solution that allows merchants to accept payments, manage orders, track inventory, and customise storefronts seamlessly.

Problem Statement

Many merchants rely on multiple disconnected tools to manage their businesses, leading to inefficiencies in tracking sales, handling transactions, and maintaining inventory. This results in delayed payments, stock mismanagement, and poor customer experience.

Goal Statement

Our payment gateway app will let users accept payments, customise storefronts, manage inventory, and track orders which will affect small and medium-sized merchants by simplifying their business operations, saving time, and improving their ability to grow efficiently. We will measure effectiveness by tracking user engagement with key features, reducing time spent on administrative tasks, and monitoring overall transaction growth and merchant satisfaction ratings.

User Research

Target Users

Small and medium-sized business owners (e.g., fashion retailers, electronics sellers, food vendors)
Freelancers who need an easy way to collect payments
Entrepreneurs selling via social media platforms

“I need a payment app that simplifies my business, helps me stay organised, and gives my customers a smooth, stress-free experience.”
Age: 35Occupation: Small Business Owner (Fashion Retailer)Location: Lagos, NigeriaBusiness Type: Sole Proprietorship

Oluwakemi Adebanjo

Oluwakemi runs a growing fashion retail business that sells custom-made clothing and accessories. She caters to both local and international customers through her physical store and social media platforms. She is tech-savvy but prefers intuitive, easy-to-use apps to streamline her business operations.

Goals

To accept payments easily and securely from local and international customers.
To simplify the management of sales, invoices, and inventory in one platform.
To offer flexible payment options like bank transfers, USSD, and card payments.
To track business performance and understand customer behavior through analytics.

Frustrations

Difficulty managing payments from multiple channels.
Limited access to tools for tracking sales and inventory in real-time.
High transaction fees with her current payment solution.
Lack of clear insights into business performance and customer preferences.

"I need a simple, reliable platform that lets my clients pay easily and helps me manage my finances without stress."
Age: 28Occupation: Freelance Graphic DesignerLocation: Abuja, NigeriaBusiness Type: Sole Proprietorship

Emeka Okoro

Emeka is a self-taught graphic designer who offers creative services to small businesses and startups. He handles projects like logo designs, branding, and social media assets. Emeka works remotely and communicates with clients via email and social media, often receiving payments in various formats.

Goals

To receive payments quickly and securely from clients across Nigeria and internationally.
To provide flexible payment options for clients who prefer card payments, transfers, or payment links.
To maintain a professional image by generating branded invoices for his services.

Frustrations

Inconsistent payment methods leading to delays and confusion.
Difficulty tracking payments from multiple clients.
Manual invoice creation that takes up valuable time.
Lack of an easy way to follow up on pending payments.

Key Pain Points

Fragmented Payment Options: Merchants use multiple tools to process payments, leading to inefficiencies.
Lack of Inventory Tracking: Many businesses experience stock mismanagement, resulting in lost sales.
Manual Order Processing: No centralised system for tracking sales and fulfilling orders.
Limited Insights: Merchants lack analytics on sales trends and customer behavior.

Design Process

Competitive Analysis

Features: Customisable storefronts, payment links, API integrations, multi-currency support, and analytics.
Strengths: User-friendly interface, robust developer tools, and strong brand trust in Africa.
Weaknesses: Limited focus on inventory and order management.
Opportunities: Better integration of storefronts with advanced order management systems.

Features: Storefront creation, payment processing via multiple channels, invoicing, and split payments.
Strengths: Broad reach in Africa, scalable solutions for small to large businesses, and strong support for local payment methods.
Weaknesses: Occasional reliability issues during peak periods.
Opportunities: Adding tools for inventory and customer engagement.

Features: Virtual accounts, direct debit, and bulk payouts.
Strengths: Focus on secure and reliable transactions, strong API integrations.
Weaknesses: Lacks storefront customisation and product management tools.
Opportunities: Introduce more tools for merchants to manage their businesses end-to-end.

Information Architecture

Dashboard

The moment a merchant logs in, their dashboard becomes a command centre, offering a real-time pulse on their business. Instead of navigating through multiple platforms, they get a clear snapshot of their store’s performance in one place. overview, recent transactions, and sales trends.

Orders

The Orders section serves as their central hub, where they can view, track, and manage all customer purchases in one seamless interface.

Products

The Product section can add new items, update details, categorise offerings, and track stock levels effortlessly—ensuring their storefront is always up to date and ready for business.

Storefronts

Merchants can create a fully customised online storefront, designing the layout, showcasing products and services, and enabling seamless purchasing experiences—all while reflecting their unique brand identity.

High Fidelity

Transactions

Discount Codes

Shipping

Usability Testing

Participants

5 small business owners
3 freelancers

Findings & Iterations

Pain Point

Users found the onboarding process overwhelming.

Solution

Added a step-by-step setup guide for new merchants.

Pain Point

Some users struggled with navigating between payments and orders.

Solution

Redesigned the navigation to group related features logically.

Pain Point

Users wanted automated reminders for unpaid invoices.

Solution

Introduced automated notifications and payment reminders.

Final Design Solution

Customisable Storefronts

Merchants can personalise their online shop with branding elements.

Multiple Payment Methods

Supports bank transfers, cards, USSD, and NQR.

Automated Invoicing

Users can create and send invoices with due date reminders.

Results & Impact

50% reduction in time spent on manual payment tracking.

Increase in merchant adoption due to simplified onboarding and usability improvements.

Higher transaction success rate with optimised payment processing.

Conclusion & Next Steps

The Payment Gateway: Storefront Mobile App successfully streamlined merchant operations and improved payment processing. Future iterations will focus on:

Integrating AI-driven inventory forecasting.

Expanding support for international payments.

Adding customer engagement tools like loyalty rewards and feedback management.

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