THE MARKET POTENTIAL FOR ELECTRONIC PAYMENT APPLICATIONS IN GHANA AND UGANDA (CASE COMPANY–MAVIANCE GMBH)

ABSTRACT
Nowadays, electronic payment solutions are widespread all around the world. Besides, their popularity is rapidly growing in emerging markets bringing numerous business opportunities to the international companies specializing in electronic payment systems.

The aim of this thesis is to create a marketing strategy for the penetration of Ghana and Uganda with Smobilpay, which is an electronic payment application of Maviance GmbH. The research is done with the help of an analysis of the business environment for electronic payment solutions in Ghana and Uganda.

The marketing strategy includes a description of the appropriate pricing approach as well as distribution and promotion channels for Smobilpay. According to the research and interviews, recommendations for market penetration of Ghana are given.


TABLE OF CONTENTS
1          INTRODUCTION
            1.1       Background
            1.2       Aim of the study
            1.3       Methodology
            1.4       Outline of the report

2          ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS
            2.1       General characteristic of electronic payment services
            2.2       Electronic payment solution of Maviance GmbH - Smobilpay

3   BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FOR ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS IN GHANA AND UGANDA
            3.1       Choice of the target countries
            3.2       Analysis of the target countries
            3.2.1    Political and legal environment
            3.2.2    Economic environment
            3.2.3    Technological environment
            3.2.4    Socio-cultural environment
            3.2.5    Environmental factors
            3.3       Competition in Ghana and Uganda
            3.3.1    The threat of market entry
            3.3.2    Bargaining power of buyers
            3.3.3    Bargaining power of suppliers
            3.3.4    The threat of substitutes
            3.3.5    Rivalry among existing companies

4          MARKETING STRATEGY
            4.1       Service
            4.2       Price
            4.3       Distribution channels
            4.4       Promotion channels
            4.5       Potential Smobilpay owners
            4.6       Recommendation on market penetration

5          SUMMARY

REFERENCES

APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Existing competition among Payment service providers in Ghana and Uganda
Appendix 2 Potential Smobilpay owners in Ghana
Appendix 3 Potential Smobilpay owners in Uganda
Appendix 4 Brief comparative analysis of Ghana and Uganda


1         INTRODUCTION
1.1     Background
Payment systems have demonstrated notable changes in the past twenty years. In the last century, the payments among the banks were carried out by exchanging paper payment instructions, which became known as the “paper-based payment system” (Nakajima 2012). However, a significantly increased number of payments have required great paper work and, consequently, enormous amounts of time. Consequently, electronic payment systems appeared to replace paper-based ones.


The development of e-commerce has further digitized the payment procedure (Ramezani 2008). The popularity of electronic payment services is rapidly growing, and there is no need for physical interaction between the buyer and the seller. The ultimate goal of each electronic service is to satisfy consumers’ needs and desires, maximizing at the same time the company’s benefit.


Electronic payment services are widespread especially in the developed markets. However, during the last decade, electronic payment technologies have actively penetrated emerging countries and gradually gained popularity.


1.2     Aim of the study

The aim of the study is to investigate the market potential for electronic payment technologies in two African countries, Ghana and Uganda. In this paper, electronic payment is defined as a transfer of funds over an electronic network in return for a good or service (Business dictionary 2011).

The understanding of electronic payment technologies is accomplished through the case of Smobilpay™, a smart mobile payment solution. The research is conducted for Maviance GmbH in Leipzig, Germany. The study provides Maviance GmbH with an overview of the political, economic, technological and environmental situation for electronic payment solutions in Ghana and Uganda. Moreover, it provides with a marketing strategy for the market penetration of Ghana.


1.3     Methodology
The ways of collecting the data for the study are primary and secondary research methods. The data provided in this research related specifically to Ghana and Uganda. Nevertheless, a lot of information about the business environment still fits other African countries.

Primary information is collected via face-to-face interviews with the managing director and co-founder of Maviance GmbH (Flach 2016). The major purposes of the interview are:

To explore the company’s previous business activities in certain African countries (Cameroon, Nigeria, and Malawi).

To learn which factors have to be considered in order to choose the country for penetration (e.g. political stability, legal environment, educational level)

To understand branding strategy of Smobilpay™

To learn about the main substitutes and competitors of Smobilpay

Secondary information was gathered from governmental statistics, scientific publications as well as from magazines, journals and newspapers. This information provides outline of the business environment in Ghana and Uganda. Additionally, it illustrates trends in the business environment in the new potential markets of operations.

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Item Type: Project Material  |  Size: 45 pages  |  Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word   Delivery: Within 30Mins.
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