This guide walks you through setting up a new Vendra account from the beginning. Follow the steps in order — each section builds on the previous one. By the end you will have a fully configured system ready for daily operations.
Before you begin
Vendra runs entirely in a web browser — there is nothing to install. You will need your company name, the country you operate in, your preferred currency, and a list of your products to get started. If you have existing product data in a spreadsheet, keep it handy as you can import it directly.
Setup steps
Create your account
Go to vendraapp.com and click Get Started. Enter your name, email address, and a password. Choose your subscription plan — most single-branch businesses start on the Pro plan. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to activate your account. Click the link to log in for the first time.
Set up your company profile
After logging in, go to Settings from the left sidebar. Under the Companies section, click your company name to open the profile. Enter your full legal business name, physical address, phone number, and email. Upload your company logo (a square PNG with transparent background works best). Set your country and default currency — these affect tax calculations, account formats, and document layouts across the entire system. Save your changes.
Configure your chart of accounts
Vendra automatically loads the correct chart of accounts for your country when you set up your company profile. Go to Accounting → Configuration → Chart of Accounts to review the accounts. For most businesses the default accounts are sufficient. If you have an accountant who uses specific account codes, you can edit account names and codes here, or add new accounts. The chart is organized hierarchically — assets, liabilities, equity, income, and expense accounts are all pre-populated.
Add your first products
Go to Inventory → Products and click New. For each product enter the name, internal reference code, barcode (if applicable), sales price, cost price, and product category. Set the product type to Storable Product if you want inventory tracked, or Service for non-physical items. You can also import products in bulk — click the import icon in the product list and upload a CSV or Excel file with columns for name, barcode, sales price, cost, and category. Once products are saved they are immediately available in POS, sales orders, and purchase orders.
Set up your Point of Sale terminal
Open Point of Sale from the sidebar. Go to Configuration → Point of Sales and click New (or edit the default Shop terminal). Name your terminal, assign a sales journal for accounting, and configure the receipt layout — upload your logo, add a header and footer message. In the Inventory section, link the terminal to your main warehouse so sales deduct from the correct stock location. Save the terminal configuration. Your POS is now ready to open a session.
Add employees and assign roles
Go to Employees → Employees and click New. Enter the employee's full name, job position, department, and work email. In the HR Settings tab, set a 4–6 digit PIN — this is used to log in to the POS terminal. To give an employee access to the back-office system, create a linked user account via Settings → Users, assign the appropriate permission level (User or Manager), and save. Cashiers only need a POS PIN and do not require a full user account unless they need back-office access.
Connect your payment methods
Go to Point of Sale → Configuration → Payment Methods. You will find Cash already configured by default. To add mobile money, click New and select M-Pesa STK Push — enter your Safaricom API credentials (Consumer Key, Consumer Secret, and Shortcode) to enable automatic payment confirmation via STK Push. For card payments, add a Bank or card terminal payment method and link it to the appropriate accounting journal. Assign all active payment methods to your POS terminal in its configuration settings.
Make your first sale
Go to Point of Sale and click Open on your terminal. If prompted, enter your employee PIN. The POS screen opens. Click a product on screen or scan its barcode to add it to the order. Click Payment when done, select the payment method, enter the amount received, and click Validate. The receipt displays on screen or prints if a printer is connected. Your first sale is recorded, stock is updated, and the accounting journal entry is created automatically.
Quick-start checklist
Use this checklist to confirm you have completed all setup steps before going live:
- Company name, country, currency, and logo configured in Settings
- Chart of accounts reviewed and adjusted for your business
- Products added with names, barcodes, prices, and categories
- POS terminal configured with receipt layout and warehouse link
- Payment methods added (Cash, M-Pesa, card as applicable)
- Employee records created with POS PINs
- User accounts created for back-office staff with correct permission levels
- Test sale processed and receipt confirmed
- Bank account added in Accounting for reconciliation
- Tax rates verified for your country
If you have existing sales data or a product database from another system, import it before going live. Vendra supports CSV and Excel imports for products, customers, vendors, and opening balances. Importing avoids the need to re-enter records manually and gives you a clean starting history.
What to set up next
Once your core setup is complete, the following configuration steps will improve your day-to-day operations:
Reorder rules
Set minimum stock levels per product so the system generates purchase orders automatically when stock runs low. Go to Inventory → Products → Reorder List.
Supplier records
Add your vendors in the Contacts module with payment terms and lead times. Link products to their suppliers so purchase orders populate correctly.
Bank reconciliation
Add your bank account under Accounting → Configuration and import your first bank statement to begin reconciling payments against invoices.
Payroll setup
Configure salary structures in the Payroll module so you can generate payslips with correct deductions for each employee from the start of the month.