By Edson Baraukwa | Africa Guardian
As digital technology and analytics transform global industries, many large African companies in finance, telecom, insurance, and retail are investing in digital platforms to meet the evolving needs of today’s consumers. Modern consumers expect more than just products; they seek seamless, integrated solutions. This shift is rewarding companies that excel in digital consumer engagement. Notable examples include FNB’s banking app, Shoprite’s Sixty60 delivery service, and Luno’s cryptocurrency platform.
By embracing digital strategies, companies are creating new revenue streams, as demonstrated by M-PESA and Mobile Money (MoMo), which revolutionized African payments, and Discovery’s successful transition to digital banking. Beyond revenue, a key goal for these companies is to retain direct connections with customers, using data insights to tailor services, boost engagement, and reduce customer churn. The insurance sector is also evolving, with incumbents like Hollard, Santam, and Old Mutual launching direct-to-consumer digital platforms to stay relevant.
Globally, companies that excel in data-driven insights are winning. Netflix’s transformation into a digital-first platform and PingAn’s success in digital insurance offer valuable lessons. Yet many African firms struggle to see similar returns on their digital investments. Often, digital solutions lack product-market fit, resulting in low user adoption and unsustainable customer acquisition costs. This challenge stems from a “solution-first” approach, where companies design products based on internal vision rather than actual market needs. Consequently, users may test these digital solutions but rarely adopt them fully.
To overcome these challenges, African companies can look to digital-native firms that have mastered user-focused growth. Key lessons include:
- User-Centric Focus: Digital-native companies adopt a “user-backward” approach, rigorously studying user needs and behavior. This approach allows for continuous refinement based on engagement metrics, such as time spent and ease of use. Platforms like Uber showcase this in Africa, tailoring features like payment options and ride-sharing to local markets.
- Rapid Learning and Adaptation: Successful digital firms quickly iterate based on user feedback, employing agile development and short sprints. This agile approach spans beyond coding to include swift management decisions and dynamic budget allocations, enabling companies to pivot based on real-time user insights.
- Creating the “Flywheel” Effect: Digital-native firms prioritize organic user growth. Platforms like WeChat and Alipay initially focused on core features that attracted users, then expanded gradually to build their ecosystems. African firms aiming for similar growth should start by focusing on critical use cases that foster organic engagement.
Adopting these practices is challenging and often requires significant cultural and operational changes within African firms. This includes rethinking governance to enable quicker decision-making, shifting metrics to emphasize user engagement over revenue in the early stages, and attracting talent with fresh perspectives. While these shifts may be difficult, they offer substantial rewards. African companies that integrate digital-native traits are better positioned to transform their business models, strengthen their competitive edge, and unlock substantial new value.
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