New video on market research at the BoP - insights from Madagascar
At Endeva, we take an empirically grounded approach to inclusive business development. In order to develop a business model for solar kiosks, Clau and Zafi have spent 10 weeks in Madagascar to understand the target group and meet with experts and potential project partners. A new video documents her experiences and illustrates our approach.
Market research in low-income communities has to deal with a number of challenges: there is a great cultural distance between researcher and target group, which makes it difficult for both sides to understand the other, and can also lead to strategic communication on the side of the interviewee. Many people have little education, sometimes they are not able to read and write. They are also not used to articulating preferences and may not know the alternatives. Interactive methods, such as self-documentation and observation, can help overcome these constraints. These insights must be complemented by interviews with experts from NGOs or companies that have experience with wring with the target group.