Tag Archives: bop consumer

Purchasing Patterns in Cash Based Markets and Informal Economy

By Niti Bhan | Published: July 18, 2015

When cash flow is irregular and not always unpredictable, both in amount and frequency, such as it is for the majority earning a living in the informal economy, buyer behavior is not quite the same as for mainstream consumers with access to credit cards and regular paychecks. I’ve quite often made reference to how operating primarily […]

Posted in African Consumer Market, Banking, Base of the Pyramid, Cashless transactions, Consumer Behaviour, Mama Biashara, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Research, Retail in Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, User research | Also tagged Africa, asean, cash based markets, consumer behaviour, informal economy, informal retail, informal sector, marketing, Purchasing patterns | Leave a comment

“Life is Hard” – Original slides with written speech, BxD 2008

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 20, 2012

This is more or less the written version of my Life is Hard presentation (slides,video, reference) as first given in October 2008 in Providence, Rhode Island at the Better World by Design conference held at Brown University. Some of the details have become more nuanced since then, some parts have spun off into blogs, projects, […]

Posted in African Consumer Market, Analysis, Assumption filter, Base of the Pyramid, Consumer Behaviour, Design, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Projects and Reports, Research, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa, UCSD, User research | Also tagged bop, consumer insights, emerging global middle class, life is hard, middle class | Leave a comment

Questioning the narrative of extreme affordability for mobile phones

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 16, 2012

Yesterday I had a long conversation with someone whose job is related closely to mobile phone design. You’d recognize his employer’s name very easily. He asked me about extremely affordable phones for the low income segment in emerging markets. Late in the year of 2012, I found myself hesitating before answering immediately with a resounding […]

Posted in African Consumer Market, Assumption filter, Base of the Pyramid, Consumer Behaviour, Culture, Design, Emerging Markets, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Mobile platform, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Strategy, Technology, User research, Value | Also tagged affordability, aspirations, assumptions, mobile phones, pricing | Leave a comment

Deconstructing the solar lighting market hype

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 2, 2012

Nairobi solar lantern shop, July 12th 2012 The Economist’s Q3 2012 Technology Quarterly has a paean on the promise of solar lanterns replacing nasty, stinky kerosene once and for all. Of note is the careful mention of MKopa, a Nairobi based startup founded by Nick Hughes of MPesa fame, until now conducting pilot tests in […]

Posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Analysis, Assumption filter, Base of the Pyramid, Business Models, Consumer Behaviour, Culture, Design, Emerging Markets, Innovation Planning, Kenya, Mobile platform, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, rural, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa, Systems, Technology | Also tagged hype, marketing, off grid, rural africa, social enterprise, solar | Leave a comment

Barriers to business with the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ : what can we learn from Mama Boi?

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 23, 2011

The Monitor Group has made available the complete HBR article “Is the Bottom of the Pyramid Really for you?” (PDF) where the authors frame the debate for multinationals questioning whether to consider entering this challenging though untapped segment of the global marketplace. They list some of the common barriers faced by executives during their attempts […]

Posted in Business, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Strategy | Also tagged Africa, bop, bop market creation, brands, informal economy, informal markets, informal segment, market creation, marketing, unbranded | Leave a comment

The Telco and the BoP (January 2009)

By Niti Bhan | Published: May 19, 2010

NextBillion.net’s Rob Katz recently posted an Indian news snippet based on research that led the writer to argue that telco’s should focus on their most profitable customers, those at the top of the pyramid. The BoP (Bottom of the Pyramid), as the numbers demonstrate, are simply not worth it. Following some commentary, Rob added his […]

Posted in Analysis, Base of the Pyramid, Business, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Frugality, Marketing, Mobile platform, Platforms, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Strategy | Also tagged bop, bop marketing, business model, market creation, mobile phones, ROI, telco, understanding bop | 1 Response