Tag Archives: business model design

Part 2: Enabling development’s paradigm shift from ‘best practice’ to ‘best fit’

By Niti Bhan | Published: July 23, 2016

Programming in International Development jumps directly into the Design phase of the projects. This is the root of the challenge they face now as they seek to change the paradigm away from ‘best practice’ to putting the end users at the center of their strategies, with ‘best fit’. I identified this problem in the Autumn […]

Posted in Design, Ecosystem, Frameworks, Innovation Planning, Perspective, Process, Research, Strategy, Systems, User research | Also tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Customer-Centric Business Model Design for Financial Inclusion

By Niti Bhan | Published: October 5, 2015

The Challenge Digital financial services (DFS) seek to bridge the chasm between the structures, policies and institutions of the formal economy, and the cash intensive informal and rural economy. Current day approaches tend to take the perspective of the service providers when assessing the market opportunity and the needs of the intended customers. And so […]

Posted in Africa, Airtime, Alternative currency, Assumption filter, Banking, Business Models, Cashless transactions, Consumer Behaviour, Design, Ecosystem, Frameworks, Innovation Planning, Mobile platform, Platforms, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Process, Research, Systems, Technology, User research | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Uber’s problems with women’s safety in India – my 2 rupees worth

By Niti Bhan | Published: May 23, 2015

In its mindless rush for scale, Uber leapt into the Indian market with their “hassle-free” service of hailing a car with a push of a button on your smartphone. I call this mindless because “will it scale” is an unquestioned imperative for a startup, not something that is thought through. Nobody asks should it scale, […]

Posted in Alternative currency, Assumption filter, Business Models, Cashless transactions, China, Consumer Behaviour, Culture, Design, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Flexibility, global, India, Innovation Planning, Kenya, Marketing, Mobile platform, Nigeria, Perspective, South Asia, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa, Systems, Technology, urban, User research | Also tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Affordability is not the same as a lower price point

By Niti Bhan | Published: August 4, 2013

Third party informal kerosene sales point deep interior of rural Eastern Kenya. Photo credit: Niti Bhan Absolute price of a product has always been assumed to be the means to successfully reach the BoP customer and the concept of affordable is often a synonym for cheaper. While price bands do matter when targeting this market, […]

Posted in African Consumer Market, Assumption filter, Base of the Pyramid, Consumer Behaviour, Expenses, Flexibility, Frugality, Income, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Marketing, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Research, Rural Economy, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa, Value | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment