🚁 Heli view: This green product is cheap, trusted and what?

Over the past month, 2,800 Kenyans have searched for solar panels online (see the Google dashboard above). But only 2,100 clicked on a search result.

• There is interest in buying solar kits for home use among consumers.

• But sellers say very few of the searches converted to sales. 

The market: Africa’s green product sector is growing - but not due good marketing.

• The number of green ventures in Africa has surged by 300% in the past 15 years.

• In a survey, 84% of Kenyans said it’s crucial for businesses to prioritise sustainability.

• But green consumer sales remain modest (unlike green business-to-business sales).

The bestsellers: A few green consumer product categories are successful across the continent. They can be counted on one hand. 

• Over 4 million solar home systems are installed, costing up to $13,000 each.

• Basic portable solar chargers for mobile phones ($20-50) are ubiquitous. 

• Ethiopia claims to have 100,000 electric vehicles on its roads.

• Clean cookstoves cost less than $40 thanks to carbon credit subsidies.

• Greenspoon, the grocery chain, was successfully sold to growth investors.

The failures: That stands in contrast to a string of green-tinted businesses that could not prosper regardless of vast cash injections. 

• EV platform WhereIsMyTransport raised $26m, expanded to 50 cities, then failed.

• Pay-as-you-go clean cooking gas pioneer PayGo was rolled up into rival Sun King.

• Jumia, the “African Amazon”, struggles regardless of embracing sustainability. 

Why? African consumers, unsurprisingly, are unlike those in more developed regions. Tactics don’t necessarily translate. 

• Local consumers find guilt-inducing marketing approaches patronising or irrelevant.

• Use cases are frequently misunderstood or ignored. Many e-bikes sold in Africa are designed for urban China with flat roads. They're not great for going up hills carrying a whole family and a goat and some furniture on a rough track.

Local failure: Clueless marketing is not limited to foreign companies. 

• Many African marketers fail to articulate benefits that address consumer pain points. 

• They also ignore that women are responsible for 70% of the consumer spending.

Killer app: Branding too is often overlooked or misunderstood – fatally. Branding is more important in Africa than the west. 

• The continent is home to over 2,000 distinct ethnic groups. Brands that resonate with local cultures and can forge deeper connections. 

• Brand consciousness is also driven by the fact that most consumers cannot afford for a product to fail. Quality matters more than many sellers think. 

• Consumer tastes may have been influenced by Western culture but many prefer brands that stand for local values. Yet, excessive localisation dilutes brand identity.

What market: Where and how people buy goods – green or otherwise – is key. 

• Many consumers prefer informal markets where pricing is negotiable over official retail channels. Even in cities, many have personal relationships with vendors.  

• Many consumers pool resources or share expenses for larger purchases – they buy in communal groups. 

Right direction: Green consumer firms successful in Africa reinvent marketing playbooks.

• Ndintambwe Feeds Limited are adopting circular economy principles, reducing waste while positioning the brand as a leader in sustainability efforts.

• Twiga Foods has incorporated sustainable packaging solutions as part of their marketing strategy. 

Vital players: Sustainable consumer goods markets are growing in Africa. They should and can grow much further still. 

• The LED battery light market is projected to double by 2028.

• Electric two-wheelers sales might grow 25% every year until 2031.

• Yet will they? Marketers have a vital role to play in the green transition.