Payments Blog

Ready for the Peak Season: How East African Businesses Can Prepare for a Surge in Spending

According to data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), digital transactions in Kenya rose by 17% in Q4 2024 compared to the previous quarter. Similar trends were observed in Uganda and Tanzania, where increased tourism and higher household expenditure fueled end year economic activity (Bank of Uganda, 2024; BOT Quarterly Review, 2024). Rwanda also recorded steady growth in retail and service activity, supported by rising digital adoption and regional travel. This surge presents an opportunity, but also a test of readiness.

The Challenge Behind the Boom
The final quarter often compresses a year’s worth of demand into a few short weeks. Businesses face tight cash flow, inventory strain, and staff pressure just as transaction volumes multiply.
For finance and operations leaders, this means two things: speed and visibility.

• Speed- to handle payments, payroll, and supplier orders quickly and accurately.
• Visibility - to monitor liquidity, prevent overspending, and ensure each shilling moves with purpose.

The businesses that thrive in Q4 aren’t necessarily the biggest, they’re the best-prepared.

The Data Behind the Season
A look at 2024 numbers shows why readiness matters:

• Retail sales in Kenya jumped 22% in December 2024 compared to the annual average (KNBS, Economic Survey 2025).
• Hotel occupancy in major cities like Kampala, Arusha, and Nairobi hit 80%+, boosted by both domestic and regional travel.
• Digital payments across East Africa accounted for over 65% of consumer transactions, reflecting the region’s accelerated shift to cashless ecosystems (GSMA Mobile Money Report, 2025).

These trends reveal a simple truth: while customers are spending more, they’re also expecting speed, convenience, and reliability, both in-store and online.
Operational Readiness: Where to Focus
Now is the time to tighten systems and strengthen financial management.

Below are five high-impact areas every East African business should focus on before the peak hits:
1. Cash flow forecasting
Anticipate higher operating costs in areas such as , inventory, bonuses, marketing and map them against expected inflows. Use transaction data from the past year to project realistic revenue patterns.
2. Integrated payments
Consolidate your payment systems. A unified POS or digital payments dashboard simplifies reconciliation and improves real-time oversight across branches and locations.
3. Digitize reconciliation
Manual tracking wastes hours you’ll need during peak season. Set your business is such away that transactions are not manually reconciled, cutting down on end-of-day errors.
4. Staff and supplier readiness
Train teams early to handle rush periods and negotiate with suppliers ahead of time. Secure delivery schedules, agree on credit terms, and avoid last-minute bottlenecks.
5. Data-driven decisions
Turn daily transaction data into insight. Monitor spending patterns, detect anomalies, and use analytics to forecast where to direct working capital.
Building Financial Resilience for Peak Demand
The season should test your systems, not your patience. Preparing early ensures your business can keep up with demand while maintaining control and clarity over your finances.
At Pesapal, we continue to support East Africa’s businesses with tools that bring efficiency, transparency, and control to everyday operations:

• Pesapal POS: Fast, integrated in-store and on-the-go payments.
• Reserveport: Simplifies travel and hospitality bookings and revenue tracking
• Forecourt Management Solution (FMS): Streamlines operations and payments at fuel stations.
• Openfloat: Simplifies how you manage business finances from petty cash and payroll to bill payments all in one secure platform.
• Pesapal Drive: Empowers fleet managers with real-time fuel visibility and spend control.

Preparing early ensures your business can keep up with demand while maintaining control and clarity over your finances.