Short answer
Choose ERP software by writing down how your business actually runs, turning that into weighted requirements, and testing two or three systems against the same real scenarios. Score each system on a printed table, check the full cost in shillings over three years, call a reference user, and run a free trial with your own data before you pay.
On this page
Most ERP decisions in Tanzania are made after one impressive demo and a conversation about price. Months later the owner finds that branch transfers need a workaround, or the accountant cannot get the report they need. A short, structured selection process avoids that. This guide gives you ten steps, a scoring table you can print and fill in with a pen, and test scripts you can hand to any vendor.
If you are still deciding whether you need an ERP at all, read what an ERP system is first. For a view of the Tanzanian market and prices, the ERP buyer’s guide covers that ground. This page is about the method.
Step 1: Write down how the business runs today
Before you look at any software, spend an hour describing a normal week. Use plain words and real numbers. For example:
- “We have two branches, Kariakoo and Mbezi. Kariakoo sells wholesale by carton, Mbezi sells retail by piece.”
- “About half our sales are paid by M-Pesa or Airtel Money, a third in cash, the rest on credit to regular fundis.”
- “Stock arrives twice a week from three suppliers. We pay two of them after 30 days.”
- “The bookkeeper comes on Saturdays and works from exercise books and an Excel file.”
This description becomes the standard every system is measured against. Without it, each salesperson will steer the demo towards what their product does well.
Step 2: List the problems you want to remove
Write the five or six things that cost you money or time today. Keep them specific: “we do not know which branch is short on cooking oil until a customer asks”, “credit customers owe us money and we only find out when we count the book”, “closing the day takes the manager 90 minutes”.
Each problem becomes a requirement. Each requirement goes into the scoring table.
Step 3: Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves
A must-have is something you cannot trade without. A nice-to-have is something you would use but could live without for a year. Be strict. A business with one shop does not need manufacturing or project management on day one, and paying for them early wastes money.
Typical must-haves for a Tanzanian trading business:
- A point of sale that keeps working when the internet drops
- Recording M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa and Airtel Money payments separately from cash
- Stock that updates the moment a sale is made
- Credit customers with limits and a balance you can see
- Purchase orders and goods received against them
- A daily sales report and a monthly profit and loss
Step 4: Give each requirement a weight
Not every requirement matters equally. Give each one a weight from 1 to 5, where 5 means “the business suffers badly without it”. Weights stop a system from winning because it scores well on many small things while failing the one thing you need most.
Step 5: Build your scoring table
Print the table below, or copy it into a notebook. Replace the example rows with your own requirements from steps 2 to 4. Each person testing gives a score from 0 to 5 for each system, then multiplies by the weight.
| Requirement | Weight (1–5) | System A score (0–5) | A weighted | System B score (0–5) | B weighted | System C score (0–5) | C weighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS works offline and syncs later | 5 | ||||||
| Mobile money recorded by provider | 5 | ||||||
| Real-time stock across branches | 4 | ||||||
| Credit customers, limits and balances | 4 | ||||||
| Purchase orders and goods received | 3 | ||||||
| Profit and loss without an accountant’s spreadsheet | 4 | ||||||
| User roles (who can change prices, delete sales) | 4 | ||||||
| Easy for a new cashier to learn in a day | 3 | ||||||
| Prices in TSh and clear plan limits | 3 | ||||||
| Support reachable in your working hours | 4 | ||||||
| Export your data (Excel, CSV) if you leave | 3 | ||||||
| Total |
How to read the scores:
- 0 = missing or needs a workaround you would not accept
- 1–2 = present but awkward, slow or incomplete
- 3 = works for your normal case
- 4–5 = works well, including your awkward cases
Ask at least two people to score independently, then compare. Big differences between scorers are worth a conversation; they usually reveal a step one person tested and the other did not.
Step 6: Prepare test scripts before any demo
A demo led by the vendor shows the smooth path. A test script shows your path. Write five or six short scenarios using your own products and prices, and ask every vendor to run the same ones, live, in front of you.
Sample test scripts
- Split payment sale. A customer buys three items worth TSh 87,500, pays TSh 50,000 by M-Pesa and the rest in cash. Show the receipt and how both amounts appear in the day’s report.
- Credit sale over the limit. A fundi with a TSh 300,000 credit limit, who already owes TSh 260,000, wants goods worth TSh 70,000. Show what the cashier sees.
- Short delivery. A supplier’s invoice says 20 cartons of soap, only 18 arrive. Receive the goods and show the supplier balance afterwards.
- Branch transfer. Move 10 bags of cement from the main store to a branch. Show stock at both places before and after.
- Offline sale. Switch off the Wi-Fi, make a sale, switch it back on. Show that the sale and the stock change arrive at head office.
- Month end. Show a profit and loss for last month and export it to Excel.
If a vendor cannot run a script on the spot, mark it as not demonstrated. A promise to “configure it later” scores no more than 2.
Step 7: Work out the full cost over three years
The monthly price on a website is only one line. Add everything you will pay, in shillings, over three years, so cloud subscriptions and one-time licences can be compared fairly.
| Cost line | Questions to ask | System A (TSh) | System B (TSh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription or licence | Monthly, yearly or one-time? Does the price change after year 1? | ||
| Branch and user limits | What happens when you open another branch or hire more cashiers? | ||
| Setup and data import | Can you import products from Excel yourself, or do you pay for it? | ||
| Training | Is training included, and for how many people? | ||
| Hardware | Can you use existing phones, tablets or laptops, or must you buy terminals? | ||
| Hosting and renewals | For self-hosted or owned systems, who pays for the server and domain each year? | ||
| Customisation | Which changes are charged per task? | ||
| Currency | Is the price in TSh or US dollars? A dollar price moves with the exchange rate. | ||
| Three-year total |
For reference, SmartBiashara cloud plans run from TSh 15,000 to TSh 55,000 a month, with Enterprise Pro at TSh 850,000 a year. There is also a one-time Own Your ERP licence from TSh 1,500,000 with TSh 425,000 a year for hosting and domain from year two. All prices exclude VAT; the pricing page lists what each plan includes. For any other vendor, check the vendor’s current pricing in writing.
Step 8: Run a trial with your own data
A trial with sample data tells you very little. Load your real products, even if only your top 100 lines, and use the system for real sales at one counter for at least a week. During the trial, check:
- Your product list imported from Excel without retyping
- A cashier who has never seen the system can make a sale after a short explanation
- The day’s mobile money total in the system matches your M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa and Airtel Money statements
- Stock for at least ten lines matches a physical count at the end of the week
- The manager can see a sales report from a phone without being at the shop
- You can export sales and stock data to Excel
- You contacted support at least once and noted how long a useful answer took
Step 9: Speak to a real user
Ask each vendor for a business similar to yours that you can call. A pharmacy owner will ask about batch and expiry; a hardware owner will ask about bulk pricing and credit to contractors. Prepare three questions:
- What took longer to set up than you expected?
- When something went wrong, how was it fixed and how long did it take?
- What would you check more carefully if you were choosing again?
Step 10: Decide, then plan the switch
Add up the weighted scores. The highest total is your shortlist winner, unless it failed a weight-5 requirement outright. A system that scores 0 on a must-have is out, whatever its total.
Then plan the change. A rushed go-live can make good software look bad, so give the switch a few calm days.
Go-live checklist
- Pick a quiet week to start, away from month end and holiday peaks
- Do a full stock count the day before go-live and load those quantities as opening stock
- Enter credit customer and supplier balances as of the same date
- Set user roles: who can give discounts, delete a sale or adjust stock
- Run the old method alongside for a few days at one counter, then stop
- Review the first week’s reports with your bookkeeper
Common mistakes to avoid
Buying for the business you might have in five years. Pay for what you need now on a system that lets you move up a plan later. SmartBiashara’s plans, for example, step from one location on Starter to three on Basic and five on Standard, so you can add branches without changing systems.
Letting one person decide alone. The owner sees reports; the cashier sees the till. Both matter.
Skipping the exit question. Ask how you get your data out if you leave. Any vendor confident in their product will answer plainly.
Ignoring support hours. A system that fails at 7pm on a Saturday is only as good as the help you can reach then. SmartBiashara support, for comparison, is on WhatsApp and phone (+255 749 900 050) Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm EAT.
Next steps
Print the scoring table, fill in your requirements and weights this week, then book demos with your shortlist. If you want to see how a single connected system handles the test scripts above, the ERP software overview explains what SmartBiashara covers, and the multi-store module shows how branch stock and transfers work. You can test it yourself with the 14-day free trial, no credit card required.