Everything You Need to Know About Siiqo

Siiqo is the Local Commerce OS (Operating System) for Nigerian SMEs and freelancers. It is a single platform that lets you create your own branded storefront, get discovered by buyers in your local neighborhood, manage your business operations (invoicing, inventory, CRM), and get paid securely through escrow — all in one place. Think of it as your entire business system, not just a listing on a marketplace.

Yes — the Starter Plan is completely free, forever. No credit card required, no setup fees. You get a branded storefront, unlimited product listings, PDF invoicing, escrow-protected payments, and community access at zero cost. Siiqo charges an 8% escrow fee on each successful transaction — split equally: 4% paid by the buyer, and 4% paid by the vendor. Crypto payments are coming soon. No monthly subscription required on the Starter Plan.

Most Nigerian SMEs and freelancers are fully live in under 3 minutes. Sign up with your name, email, and phone number, complete your vendor onboarding (business name, category, location), and add your first product or service. You'll have a shareable link you can post on WhatsApp and Instagram immediately.

No. Siiqo welcomes home-based businesses, social media sellers, freelancers, market traders, and formally registered businesses alike. You do not need a CAC registration or physical store address. You just need a product or service to offer and a bank account or crypto wallet to receive payment.

Any Nigerian SME or freelancer can use Siiqo. This includes fashion vendors, food sellers, home bakers, electronics sellers, beauty and cosmetics brands, tailors, designers, photographers, copywriters, developers, consultants, tutors, event planners, real estate agents, health professionals, and more. If you sell a product or offer a service, Siiqo is built for you.

A Siiqo storefront is your own branded online store page. Unlike a listing on Jumia or Konga (where your products just appear alongside thousands of others), a Siiqo storefront is your own space — with your business name, logo, banner, product catalog, and a unique shareable link. It's a permanent, searchable brand page that belongs to you.

Yes. You can set your business name, upload a logo and banner, choose a store template (product store or service portfolio), write your business description, and set your location. Pro Business subscribers get access to advanced customization including custom color themes and custom domain support.

Both the Starter and Pro Business plans support unlimited product listings. You can add as many items as you want, with multiple photos, price variants (size, color, quantity), stock levels, and detailed descriptions.

Yes. Siiqo supports two store templates: a Product Store (for physical goods like fashion, food, electronics) and a Service/Portfolio Store (for freelancers offering design, photography, copywriting, consultation, etc.). You can also list digital products for instant download.

Every Siiqo storefront gets a unique shareable link in the format siiqo.com/[your-store-name]. You can share this directly on WhatsApp, Instagram Bio, Twitter, or anywhere else to drive buyers to your store.

Escrow is a secure payment method where the buyer's money is held by a neutral third party (Siiqo) until the transaction is completed. When a buyer orders from your Siiqo store, they pay into escrow. You fulfill the order and deliver. Once the buyer confirms they've received their item in good condition, the funds are released to your wallet. This protects both parties — buyers from non-delivery, and sellers from fraudulent chargebacks.

After a buyer confirms delivery, the funds move to your Siiqo wallet balance. You can then withdraw to your Nigerian bank account or crypto wallet. A ₦50 flat settlement fee applies per payout withdrawal. Payouts typically process within 24-48 hours.

If a buyer raises a dispute (e.g., they claim the item was not delivered or was significantly different from the listing), Siiqo's dispute resolution team reviews the case. Both parties are asked to submit evidence. The funds remain in escrow until the dispute is resolved. Siiqo will rule in favour of the party with stronger evidence.

Crypto payments are coming soon on Siiqo. We're building native USDC and Bitcoin support to allow buyers to pay with stablecoins and crypto assets. Stay tuned — when live, it will be especially useful for international clients and cross-border Nigerian freelancers.

Siiqo charges an 8% escrow fee per completed transaction, split equally between the buyer (4%) and the vendor (4%). There are no listing fees, no hidden charges, and no monthly fees on the Starter plan. Crypto payments are coming soon.

Yes. Escrow funds are held in a dedicated settlement account, not mixed with operating funds. Siiqo uses bank-grade encryption for all payment flows. Your wallet balance is protected and can only be withdrawn to your verified bank account or crypto wallet.

Buyers discover your store through: (1) Siiqo's hyperlocal Marketplace — buyers in your neighborhood and city see your store first; (2) Category browsing — buyers browse by product/service category; (3) Search — buyers search by keyword, business name, or location; (4) Community Feed — your business posts appear in the local neighborhood hub; (5) Your shared link — when you share your Siiqo link on social media.

Hyperlocal discovery means Siiqo shows buyers businesses and services in their immediate neighborhood first — not just their city or state. If a buyer is in Lekki, Lagos, they'll see Lekki and nearby Lagos stores before businesses in Abuja. This dramatically improves conversion because buyers prefer to shop local for faster delivery and the ability to inspect goods.

Jumia and Konga are large consumer marketplaces built primarily for buyers. Your products are just listings among millions of others. Siiqo gives you your own branded storefront (your identity), business operation tools (invoicing, CRM, inventory), escrow payments, crypto support, and hyperlocal discovery. You own the customer relationship on Siiqo — not the platform. Think of it as the difference between renting a shelf in a supermarket vs owning your own shop.

The Siiqo Community is a neighborhood hub where local sellers and buyers connect. Vendors can post deals, announcements, and business updates. Buyers can discover what's happening near them — from weekend sales to new product launches. It's designed to drive repeat traffic to your storefront from people in your area.

Yes. Siiqo has a built-in PDF invoice generator. You can create and send professional branded invoices with your business name, logo, itemized service list, and payment terms. The invoice can be paid through your Siiqo payment link (with escrow protection) or directly via bank transfer. E-receipts are automatically generated after each completed transaction.

Yes. The vendor dashboard includes real-time inventory tracking. You can set stock levels for each product, receive low-stock alerts, and mark items as out of stock. Orders automatically deduct from your inventory count.

The Freelancer CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) is a tool within the Pro Business plan that helps freelancers track their clients, active projects, invoice history, and payment status in one organized view. You can see which clients owe you, what work is in progress, and who your best repeat clients are.

Yes. Siiqo is fully mobile-optimized. Your vendor dashboard works on any smartphone browser. You can view incoming orders, update order status, send invoices, and manage your inventory — all from your phone without needing a laptop.

The Starter Plan is free and includes: branded storefront, unlimited listings, escrow payments, PDF invoicing, and standard community visibility — with an 8% escrow fee per transaction (4% buyer + 4% vendor). The Pro Business Plan costs ₦5,000/month and adds: advanced storefront customization, Freelancer CRM suite, priority marketplace and community visibility, custom domain support, and advanced analytics. The same 8% escrow fee applies.

For most new businesses, the free Starter Plan is the right starting point. The Pro Business plan is designed for businesses that have launched, are processing regular orders, and want more control over their storefront appearance, client management, and marketplace positioning.

Yes. You can cancel the Pro Business subscription at any time from your account settings. Your store will revert to the Starter Plan features at the end of the current billing period. No penalties or cancellation fees.

The Siiqo Partner Program connects verified businesses with the Siiqo ecosystem as service providers. Partners include: Logistics Companies (delivery partners mapped to vendor storefronts), Verification Agents (ground agents who verify vendor legitimacy), Creative Partners (photographers and copywriters for premium product listings), and Financing Partners (micro-loan providers for growing SMEs). Partners earn revenue through commissions and service fees.

Yes. Siiqo users can refer friends and earn rewards when their referrals complete their first purchase. Share your unique referral link and earn a reward for every successful signup and transaction your referral makes. Visit your user profile to find your referral code.

Siiqo is fully accessible as a Progressive Web App (PWA) — meaning you can add it to your phone's home screen from your browser and it functions like a native app. A dedicated native app is on the product roadmap.