Tag Archives: emerging markets

The Prepaid Economy as a Commercial Operating Environment

By Niti Bhan | Published: July 18, 2019

I have been looking for information the global prepaid mobile subscriber market since yesterday morning. Initially, all I wanted to know was the percentage of prepaid subscribers in China, as I wanted to compare operating environments in major mobile markets like India and China, against the fast growth emergent one in sub Saharan Africa. What […]

Posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Airtime, Alternative currency, Analysis, ASEAN, Assumption filter, Banking, Base of the Pyramid, Biashara Economics, Business Models, Cashless transactions, China, Commerce en ligne (e-commerce), Consumer Behaviour, Culture, Design, Economy, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Flexibility, Frugality, Ghana, global, Income, India, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Kenya, Marchés africains, Marketing, Mobile platform, Nigeria, Perspective, Philipines, Platforms, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Research, Rural Economy, Savings, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa, Systems, Technology | Also tagged africa, china, digital mobile social ecosystem, digital social economy, ecosystem, india, informal economy, mobile, prepaid business model, prepaid economy, south east asia | Leave a comment

The Mobile as a Post Industrial Platform for Social and Economic Development: Top 3 Trends in Africa

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 11, 2018

Just over a decade ago, in San Jose, California, I was invited to speak as the Closing Plenary for the CHI 2007 25th Anniversary Conference. The theme was “Reach Beyond”, as this was the 25th Anniversary conference of the Computer Human Interaction society, and as the closing plenary, I was tasked with articulating the vision […]

Posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Analysis, Business Models, Design, Ecosystem, Emerging Futures, Emerging Markets, Innovation Planning, Marchés africains, Mobile platform, Perspective, Platforms, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa, Technology | Also tagged design for complex adaptive systems, ict4d, international development, mobile, mobile platform, platform, post industrial, strategy | Leave a comment

Goal Directed Research for Innovation Planning in Emerging Markets

By Niti Bhan | Published: March 14, 2018

What differentiates the research conducted to inform the design of an innovative product or service, in an untapped market? Michael Kimani asked me this question during a recent Skype conversation and I promised to write out the answer. Goal directed research for innovation planning seeks to discover opportunities for new products and services for a […]

Posted in Consumer Behaviour, Design, Innovation Planning, Perspective, Research, Strategy, User research | Also tagged design methods, design research, innovation planning | 1 Response

Introducing The Global Prepaid Economy

By Niti Bhan | Published: August 10, 2015

This week, that venerable newspaper The Financial Times, published an original piece of writing on the World Economic Forum’s Agenda blog. Its not a reprint from their own publication. It proposes the end of “Emerging Markets” (EM) as we know them: Now, commentators say, it is the world’s mental map that is in dire need […]

Posted in Business Models, Consumer Behaviour, Economy, Emerging Markets, Flexibility, Frugality, global, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Marketing, Mobile platform, Perspective, Platforms, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Research, Strategy, User research | Also tagged business model, global, mobile, mobile phones, prepaid, prepaid economy, smartphones, The prepaid economy | Leave a comment

Being middle class in India

By Niti Bhan | Published: February 23, 2015

Are differences within the middle class, in income, education, and cultural and social capital, so wide as to render moot any ideological or behavioural coherence to this group? Over the next two months, The Hindu will release the findings of a new survey on the aspirations and anxieties of ordinary Indians. Here’s a snippet accompanying […]

Posted in Emerging Markets, India, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, South Asia, urban | Also tagged global emerging middle class, india, middle class | Leave a comment

A tale of two Africas

By Niti Bhan | Published: July 14, 2013

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. By the middle of the year 2013, the continent of Africa finally put her foot down and said to the world that enough is enough, “We’re taking over the reins of our future and giving voice to our own story.” Ghana and Kenya […]

Posted in Africa, Assumption filter, Culture, Emerging Markets, Mobile platform, Perspective, Sub Saharan Africa, Technology | Also tagged africa rising, international development, Social Media | Leave a comment

Reach Beyond: the CHI 25th Anniversary Conference in San Jose, May 2007

By Niti Bhan | Published: May 1, 2013

Today I realize that I had been struck dumb by the myriads of visions dancing in front of my eyes when I went up on stage to share the Closing Plenary at the CHI2007 conference back in San Jose, CA in the first week of May 2007. May 3rd, 2007 in San Jose CA Photo […]

Posted in Base of the Pyramid, Innovation Planning, Mobile platform, Perspective, Platforms, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector | Also tagged computer human interaction, emerging futures, innovation, mobile platform | Leave a comment

Case study of design strategy failure: Whirlpool World Washer for emerging markets

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 13, 2012

This is a comprehensive study of the introduction of an automatic washing machine, the World Washer, into the Indian market, by Whirlpool Corporation in 1990. Conceived as an important part of Whirlpool’s global strategy in the late nineteen eighties, it was designed for the emerging markets of Mexico, Brazil and India. It failed dramatically and […]

Posted in Analysis, Business, Consumer Behaviour, Design, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, global, India, Innovation Planning, Marketing, Perspective, Platforms, Projects and Reports, South Asia, Strategy, Systems, Technology, urban, User research | Also tagged brics, design, design planning, fail, market forces, npd, product development, washing machine, whirlpool | 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 Africa, apps, bop, brands, broadband, East Africa, facebook, informal economy, kenya, media, mobile internet, village telco | Leave a comment

Opportunity spaces vs ideas – business development for the BoP markets

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 30, 2011

Ideas or concepts are not the same as opportunity spaces or gaps in a particular market. Exploratory user research can identify opportunities for innovation, that is, either unmet needs or gaps in the existing ecosystem which could be filled by a product or service with the intent to create and provide value. On the other […]

Posted in Analysis, Base of the Pyramid, Business, Emerging Markets, Research | Also tagged Africa, analysis, bop market creation, bottom of the pyramid, business model, design, informal economy, informal markets, informal sector, innovation, relevant, strategy, user research | Leave a comment