Tag Archives: market

“Cheap is expensive.”

By Niti Bhan | Published: April 10, 2015

Mama said something very profound when I asked her which of those kerosene stoves she would purchase for herself, “Cheap is expensive,” she said, making a moue at the low cost imports jostling for space in her kitchengoods shop on the outskirts of Kibra. While the limitations of cash in hand may drive her customer’s […]

Posted in African Consumer Market, Base of the Pyramid, Business, Design, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Frugality, Kenya, Marketing, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Research, urban | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Low Income Household consumer research in rural Kenya

By Niti Bhan | Published: January 4, 2012

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be starting a whole new set of fieldwork in rural Kenya.  This time we’re doing something closer to the better known applications of our human centered design approach for increasing our understanding of people. It will be among rural ‘BoP’ households on behalf of a consumer product that’s retailed […]

Posted in Base of the Pyramid, Design, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Frugality, Kenya, Marketing, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Projects and Reports, Research, rural, Scarcity, User research | Also tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Visible sign of market creation for a product designed for social impact

By Niti Bhan | Published: July 16, 2011

It struck me when I saw this Moneymaker pump by Kickstart on a street corner matatu stand in Nairobi while wandering around a market with Muchiri who was shopping for shoes. I’m giving this level of detail so you can see the context in which we spotted this classic and oft quoted example of a […]

Posted in Business, Design, Innovation Planning, Kenya, Marketing, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kenya’s Kadogo Economy

By Niti Bhan | Published: May 26, 2011

Charcoal seller Margaret Nyambura, a widowed mother of four, used Sh100 we had given her to shop for food and household goods that would last her family three days. Her priority was cooking oil and maize flour, which cost her Sh20 and Sh10 respectively. Each was measured in portions to fit her money. She bought […]

Posted in Africa, Airtime, Base of the Pyramid, Business Models, Consumer Behaviour, Economy, Informal & Flexible, Kenya, Mobile platform, Research, Sub Saharan Africa, urban, User research | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment