zimbizos

Guides

How to use ZimBiz OS

Short, step-by-step guides for the counter, the stock room and the debt book.

Getting started

  1. Open ZimBiz OS. To look around first, tap Explore a fictional demo business. You can erase it later in More.
  2. To set up your own business, enter the business name, your name and your reporting currency.
  3. If you sell in both USD and ZiG, leave Use both currencies on and enter your rate: how many ZiG you take for 1 USD. This is your own rate, and you can change it any time in More → Business settings.
  4. Optional: add a phone number and a PIN under Optional business and security settings. Set a PIN if anyone else can pick up the phone.
  5. Add your products in Stock → Add product: name, cost price, selling price and opening quantity. You can also import a CSV file in More → Data.

Selling

  1. Tap Sell. Tap a product to add it, or use Scan barcode. Use − and + to change quantities.
  2. Tap Continue to payment. Choose the currency and how the customer pays: cash, mobile money, card, customer credit or a mix.
  3. For cash, tap the amount handed over. The change to give is shown in large type.
  4. Tap Review sale, check it, then Confirm sale. Stock and any customer balance update straight away.
  5. Print the receipt, send it on WhatsApp, or share a PDF.

Busy counter? Tap Park sale to put a basket aside and serve the next customer. Resume it from Parked sales.

For a customer who wants a price first, use Save quotation. Nothing leaves stock until you convert it to a sale in More → Sales history.

Stock

  • Stock in / out: every change has a reason (delivery, damaged, expired, theft, own use or correction), so you can see where stock went.
  • Stock count: count the shelf, enter what you find, and ZimBiz OS shows the difference and what it cost. Post the count when you finish.
  • Low stock: products at or below their low level appear on the home screen. The reorder list suggests quantities from the last 30 days of sales and can be shared with a supplier.
  • Record deliveries in More → Purchasing, so stock, average cost and what you owe the supplier update together.

Customers and debts

  1. Add customers in People, with their phone number for WhatsApp.
  2. To sell on credit, choose the customer and Customer credit, or record part payment, then set a due date.
  3. When they pay, open the customer and tap Record payment. The oldest sale is settled first.
  4. Tap Send reminder or Share statement. WhatsApp opens in their chat with the message ready. Read it, then press send.

Receipt printer

  1. Switch on a 58 mm or 80 mm Bluetooth thermal printer. Pair it in Android's Bluetooth settings; the PIN is usually 0000 or 1234.
  2. In ZimBiz OS open More → Printer → Choose paired printer. On Android 12 and newer, allow Nearby devices.
  3. Choose the paper width and tap Print test page. Every line should fit on one line.
  4. Turn on Print a receipt automatically after each sale if you want.

Your branding

Open More → Branding to add your logo, address, TIN and VAT numbers, a receipt footer, invoice terms, how customers pay you, and a heading colour. The preview shows the receipt as it will print. Use Preview sample invoice and Print sample receipt to check before saving.

Backups

If the phone is lost, stolen or broken, a backup is the only way to get your records back. Set up automatic backups once:

  1. Open More → Backups.
  2. Choose a passphrase of at least 12 characters and write it down somewhere safe. Nobody can recover it for you.
  3. Tap Google Drive or another cloud app, choose Drive in the menu, pick a folder and save. Google Drive uploads the file whenever the phone is online.

To restore on a new phone, install ZimBiz OS, open More → Backups → Choose backup to restore, pick the file from Drive and enter the passphrase.

Staff and PINs

In More → Business → Add staff user, give each worker a name and PIN, then choose what they can do: sell, manage stock, see reports, give discounts and so on. Every change is recorded in the activity log with who made it.

Paying for a plan

App downloaded from this website: open More → Subscription, choose EcoCash or OneMoney, check the number, and tap a plan. Approve the payment prompt on your phone with your PIN. The plan starts within seconds. On a new phone, use Restore purchase with the same business name and number.

App from Google Play: open More → Subscription and tap a plan. Google Play handles the payment and renewals. Use Restore purchases on a new phone.

Support

Contact us on WhatsApp at [YOUR SUPPORT WHATSAPP NUMBER] or by email at [YOUR SUPPORT EMAIL]. Tell us your phone model, what you tapped, and what you expected to happen. Never send your backup passphrase or PIN.