South African independent businesses may soon have an artificial intelligence assistant to help them manage sales, customers and day-to-day operations, after commerce platform Yoko unveiled a suite of new digital tools aimed at easing the burden on entrepreneurs.
The launch comes as many small businesses struggle with low consumer spending and rising operating costs. The latest survey shows that 46% of independent business owners feel less confident than at the start of the year, with more than half saying that pressures on household spending have reduced their optimism even further.
Against that backdrop, the platform on Thursday announced more than 20 new products and features — including its first AI-powered business agent — which the company calls its biggest expansion since launching as a payments provider.
South Africa's independent businesses, from neighborhood cafes and salons to clothing stores and family-run retailers, often operate with limited staff and thin margins, leaving owners to handle everything from stock management and bookkeeping to customer service and marketing. Carl Wazen, Yoko's chief business officer, said the company wants to make sophisticated business tools accessible to small enterprises. “Yoko started by giving independent businesses access to payments. Today, we're giving them the tools that used to be only for larger businesses, at a set price for small businesses. We call this an unfair advantage.”
Central to the expansion is Yoko AI, an upcoming AI agent designed to learn a merchant's sales trends, costs, and staffing patterns. The system will alert business owners to potential opportunities or problems and suggest actions before seeking insight. Industry-specific features for restaurants, retailers, and beauty businesses have also been added to the platform's point-of-sale offering. This investment reflects the growing importance of South Africa's small business sector, which the platform estimates contributes approximately 40% of the country's economic activity.
Many entrepreneurs face significant headwinds, including weak economic growth, cautious consumer spending and increasing competition. Yoko said its network of more than 200,000 merchants has highlighted a common challenge among business owners: finding enough time to focus on growth while managing the daily demands of running a business.
Instead of replacing employees, the company believes AI can help entrepreneurs make faster decisions, reduce administrative workload, and improve customer retention. The launch also signals a broader shift in South Africa's digital economy, where technologies once associated with large corporations are increasingly becoming available to small and medium-sized enterprises.