Overview

Webbie Shop, based in Cape Town, is a no-code e-commerce solution designed to help SMEs, cafés, and restaurants quickly establish an online presence. From the stables of The Venture Studio, Webbie Shop integrates payment, shipping, and inventory management into a seamless platform — empowering businesses to launch digital stores within minutes.

The Challenge

Small and medium businesses in South Africa often face barriers in adopting digital commerce due to fragmented systems, limited access to digital payments, and a lack of affordable technology. Webbie Shop aimed to address these challenges by building a unified platform that simplifies digital adoption for local enterprises.

The Solution

Built on a modular architecture, Webbie Shop integrates multi-gateway payments, offline sync interoperability, and API-based connectors that enable smooth integration with third-party services. This approach ensures inclusivity for merchants operating in low-connectivity areas and supports interoperability across financial and logistics ecosystems.

Webbie Shop contributes to the foundational layers of Digital Public Infrastructure — identity, payments, and data exchange — through:

• Payment Interoperability: Integration with multiple gateways and digital wallets to foster inclusion.
• Offline Capability: Allowing businesses to operate even in low-connectivity environments.
• Data Portability: Enabling merchants to manage and share data securely across platforms.

Impact

The platform has empowered hundreds of SMEs to digitize their business operations, increase visibility, and access digital payment ecosystems. It reduces setup time from weeks to minutes, helping small businesses participate in the formal digital economy.

Way Forward

Webbie Shop exemplifies how digital public infrastructure can drive digital inclusion and economic growth. By leveraging open, interoperable frameworks, it creates a resilient, inclusive, and scalable digital commerce ecosystem.