In recent years much has been said and written about Africa’s emerging class of consumers, who are often described as inexhaustibly optimistic, highly brand conscious, Internet savvy, eager to spend, and willing to pay more for quality. These generalizations appear to herald the arrival of a new and meaningful consumer base. Yet the details about African consumers’ specific attitudes toward spending, brands, and the media, and how demographic differences affect those attitudes, have been largely absent—until now.
Becky Willmoth's insight:
In this study, the Boston Consulting Group polled 10,000 consumers across eight of Africa's largest countries and found that the diversity of the continent is reflected in the many consumer classes that are emerging across it.
Companies that succeed in Africa's many markets do so through a deep understanding of how consumer preferences and behaviours vary across the continent - often in very nuanced ways. On the ground observation is identified as a key contributor to this understanding.