LayUp Technologies, South Africa’s leading digital lay-by platform, has announced the upcoming launch of BOOST, a savings-powered pre-payment solution designed to fundamentally change how consumers pay and how merchants sell.
Positioned as the country’s first Save Now Buy Later (SNBL) solution, BOOST aims to help retailers and service providers increase conversions, improve cash flow, and build long-term customer loyalty, without exposing businesses to the risks associated with credit-based payment models.
With early access now open, BOOST addresses one of the most persistent challenges facing modern commerce, affordability-driven cart abandonment.
By combining structured savings, behavioural rewards, and seamless e-commerce integration, LayUp says BOOST converts hesitant shoppers into committed buyers while locking in future revenue for merchants.
According to the company, the solution is designed not just as a payment tool, but as a growth engine that aligns consumer financial discipline with merchant performance.
“At LayUp, we’ve always focused on making payments simpler, smarter, and more accessible for both businesses and consumers,” said Andrew Katzwinkel, CEO and Founder of LayUp Technologies.
“BOOST is designed to convert lost sales into structured, goal-driven purchases through a savings and rewards model, a win for both merchants and shoppers.”
What LayUp Technologies Is Doing in the Payments Space
LayUp Technologies has built its reputation around redefining lay-by for the digital age, offering consumers flexible ways to save and pay for purchases without resorting to debt.
With BOOST, the company is extending this philosophy by introducing a model that replaces “buy now, pay later” credit structures with savings-led commitment.
Rather than encouraging instant consumption through loans, BOOST motivates customers to plan, save, and complete purchases over time.
This approach allows merchants to secure deposits upfront while maintaining full transparency and eliminating exposure to defaults or bad debt.
As Katzwinkel explains, the goal is to “build financial inclusion and loyalty” while ensuring businesses grow sustainably.
What You Should Know About LayUp’s BOOST
At its core, BOOST is a pre-payment solution powered by savings and rewards. Customers set a savings goal for a desired product or service and contribute toward it over time.
Once the target is reached, LayUp adds a BOOST Reward, extra cash that enhances the customer’s purchasing power and can be redeemed at checkout.
This structure incentivises completion rather than impulse buying, encouraging shoppers to stay engaged until the transaction is finalised.
“When customers reach their savings target, they receive a BOOST Reward, extra cash to their savings that can be redeemed at checkout,” LayUp noted, positioning the reward as both a motivator and a loyalty tool.
How BOOST Helps Merchants Increase Sales and Cash Flow
For merchants, BOOST is designed to tackle multiple business pain points simultaneously. The platform turns abandoned carts into future sales by giving customers a clear, achievable path to purchase.
LayUp says this leads to higher conversion rates and increased average order values, as customers are more comfortable committing to larger purchases when saving is structured.
Importantly, BOOST also improves cash flow by locking in deposits early, giving merchants access to committed revenue without waiting for full payment.
“BOOST allows merchants to increase conversions, raise average order values, and secure future revenue, all while eliminating the risks of traditional credit-based payments,” Katzwinkel added.
The Technology and Behavioural Science Behind BOOST
BOOST is built to integrate seamlessly with Shopify and other e-commerce platforms, allowing merchants to activate it without developer support or complex technical setup.
Beyond its technical simplicity, LayUp says the platform is underpinned by behavioural science and the psychology of saving and reward.
The company highlights that up to 80% of shoppers abandon carts due to affordability barriers, while available data show that a 5% increase in retention can drive up to 95% higher profits.
Brands that offer rewards, LayUp adds, see 36% higher revenue than those that rely solely on discounts. BOOST is designed to capitalise on these insights by encouraging repeat engagement rather than one-off transactions.
Who BOOST Is Designed For
BOOST is targeted at a wide range of merchants and service providers, including retailers in furniture, electronics, fashion, and homeware, as well as e-commerce businesses seeking new ways to recover abandoned checkouts.
Service providers in travel, education, wellness, and events can also leverage the platform to secure advance commitments from customers.
LayUp says BOOST is especially relevant for business owners looking to expand payment options, increase customer lifetime value, and grow without relying on debt-driven consumer spending.
Early Access and What Merchants Stand to Gain
Merchants who join the BOOST Early Access Programme will receive exclusive first access ahead of the public launch, along with a free business consultation on how BOOST fits into their payment and loyalty strategy.
Early adopters can begin driving sales immediately, with LayUp emphasising that there are no hidden fees and no credit risk involved.
Participants will also benefit from up to R5,000 in free marketing generated by LayUp, giving businesses additional visibility as they adopt the new payment model.
As LayUp positions BOOST as more than just a payment option, Katzwinkel underscored its broader ambition, “It’s not just about payments; it’s about building financial inclusion and loyalty.”
With savings replacing debt at the centre of the transaction, BOOST signals a notable shift in how South African merchants and consumers may approach buying and selling in the digital economy.
Talking Points
LayUp’s BOOST is bringing a structurally important intervention in South Africa’s consumer and SME economy because it directly addresses two entrenched challenges at once, household over-indebtedness and fragile merchant cash flow.
In an economy where access to credit is widespread but often expensive and exclusionary, BOOST’s Save Now Buy Later model shifts consumption away from debt-fuelled spending toward disciplined, goal-based saving, which can strengthen household financial resilience over time.
This behavioural shift is particularly significant in South Africa, where high interest rates and unsecured credit have historically trapped low- and middle-income consumers in cycles of repayment rather than asset accumulation.
For merchant, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, BOOST improves liquidity through upfront deposits, stabilises demand by converting abandoned carts into predictable future revenue, and removes the systemic risk of defaults that often accompanies credit-based sales.
At a macro level, this model supports more sustainable retail growth, enhances SME survival rates, and encourages responsible consumption, all of which are critical to job creation and economic stability.
By embedding financial inclusion into a commercially viable payments framework, BOOST demonstrates how fintech innovation can contribute to economic development not by expanding credit, but by realigning incentives around savings, commitment, and long-term value creation.
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