Tag Archives: apps

Africa’s Delivery On Demand Apps are Transforming the Informal Economy

By Niti Bhan | Published: December 10, 2018

When women in rural Rwanda can buy sanitary napkins and contraceptives, on demand, simply by pushing a few buttons on their phones, you know the digital informal economy is here to stay. And, its not just imported apps and social enterprises pushing this digital commercial activity. The “uberization” of the African informal economy is well […]

Posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Biashara Economics, Business Models, Commerce en ligne (e-commerce), Consommateurs, Consumer Behaviour, Distribution, Ecosystem, Emerging Futures, Flexibility, FMCG, Frameworks, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Mama Biashara, Marchés africains, Marketing, Mobile platform, Perspective, Platforms, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Retail in Africa, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa, Technology, Value | Also tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Time to acknowledge the social cost of mobile and apps driven disruption

By Niti Bhan | Published: November 5, 2017

From Lagos, Nigeria comes this moving human interest story that looks at the downside of modern technology and it’s impact on livelihoods. For those who must hustle to make a living, send the kids to school, or put food on the table, smartphone driven digitization of the services they used to provide are disrupting their […]

Posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Airtime, Base of the Pyramid, Biashara Economics, Business Models, Cashless transactions, Commerce en ligne (e-commerce), Consumer Behaviour, Economy, Ecosystem, Income, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Mama Biashara, Marchés africains, Marketing, Mobile platform, Nigeria, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Retail in Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, Technologie, urban, User research | Also tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untapped opportunities in Francophone Africa for design of apps and smartphone solutions

By Niti Bhan | Published: December 28, 2015

Bacely Yorubi frames the opportunity space for local app design and development in The Toronto Star: “Lots of young Africans who’ve studied elsewhere and returned home have expectations of mobile services that don’t yet exist,” said Bacely Yorobi, an app developer from Ivory Coast. “So they’re the ones coding and putting new African-made apps out […]

Posted in Africa, Afrique francophone, Analysis, Assumption filter, Banking, Business Models, CEMAC, Commerce en ligne (e-commerce), Compétitivité, Consommateurs, Design, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Innovation Planning, Marchés africains, Mobile platform, Perspective, Platforms, Senegal, Strategy, Technologie, UEMOA | Also tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Emerging Markets Competition – this time its technology

By Niti Bhan | Published: May 19, 2015

Around twenty years ago, when the Indian and Chinese markets first opened up to global brands, many were surprised to discover domestic incumbents were stronger than they had imagined. Proctor & Gamble’s laundry detergents battled for the Indian housewife’s attention and share of wallet. It wasn’t just their usual competitor Unilever either but indigenous upstarts […]

Posted in African Consumer Market, Analysis, Assumption filter, China, Consumer Behaviour, Emerging Markets, India, Kenya, Marketing, Mobile platform, Perspective, Strategy, Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reflecting on the mobile internet in Kenya

By Niti Bhan | Published: October 23, 2011

After the past three weeks of focusing on cyber cafes and internet access in urban and rural Kenya, we’ve been questioning the value of the “mobile internet” statistics provided by operators to the CCK. Muchiri pointed out that since most of our feedback seemed to revolve more around SIM operated routers installed by cybers, or […]

Posted in Analysis, Cyber cafe series, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Kenya, Platforms, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Projects and Reports, Strategy, Technology, User research | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Purpose – Platform – Price: 3Ps for an African Mobile App

By Niti Bhan | Published: April 1, 2011

The competition is increasingly about the customers, and what tasks they seek to complete on their devices. Simply building the right apps/content/service to meet that need won’t be enough: it will become a matter of getting the purpose, the platform and the price just right for each demographic. Market creation and customer education will drive […]

Posted in Emerging Markets, Innovation Planning, Mobile platform | Also tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment


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