Culture; a serious consideration in building a multinational product in Africa
Building a multinational product is delivering “the same” product across different physical geographies. The first multinational product I worked on had us delivering the product across 3 geographies — West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. It was both an exciting and a hectic time. An example of such a product is a cross-border app that can be used in different countries or more interesting, a bill payment mobile app that can be used in any country.
The idea of delivering products across several countries is becoming more appealing to founders in Africa, for several reasons — a wider reach, a bigger moat*, the effects of policies in one country are less likely to put the company in jeopardy (👀 Nigeria), and of course more money. However, delivering a successful multinational product is easier said than done, especially in Africa. So many factors to consider…
This post focuses on one factor that, I believe, can single handedly lead to the failure of such a product — a geography’s culture. The actual product — the logic of the solution being delivered e.g a bills payment platform, a lending app, etc, might be the same. However, the consideration for culture will affect how the final users experience the product. Depending on the product, you may not be able to present it the same way in Nigeria, as you would in Kenya.
To be clear, the experience here includes copywriting, the look and feel, the product positioning, etc. Experience can also go as deep as how you onboard users or collect payments in these geographies.
Here are a few things to note with respect to culture when building/delivering a multinational product for the African market:
- Spot the Common Threads: Understand the shared elements across geographies. Tailor your product logic accordingly. For instance, if you’re in the lending space, grasp how credit is perceived universally.
- Embrace the Differences: Let the unique aspects of each culture guide your product delivery and user experience. This spans from language nuances in app copy to the choice of icons, colors, and even the timing and tone of notifications. Consider the payment methods — M-Pesa in Kenya versus debit cards in Nigeria — as a prime example.
- Apply the Knowledge: Delve into the cultural nuances to inform crucial decisions like pricing structures. A culture accustomed to simple interest may respond differently than one that favours reducing balance, especially in the context of a lending app.
How does one understand these cultures, seeing as the product is across different regions? Easy but not so easy… physically visit these places. The next best thing is to hire someone living and preferably from these places. This is crucial. Don’t just read online. Have physical experiences of these places. The insights from these experiences will be valuable to the success of your product.
Consideration for culture must be done along every step of the product discovery and development journey. In as much as building a multinational product is to deliver “the same” product across different physical geographies, the goal should be to deliver experiences that result in the same outcome.
*Moat — the ability for a product or company to maintain a competitive advantage and fend off competition to maintain profitability into the future.
Happy to answer any questions..
