With all the changes in the socio-economic landscape in Zambia, how can a business improve its chances for success and growth?

This is a question Agova Zambia encounters in the varying contexts presented by their clients. Home-grown tech start-ups and multinational corporations are looking for innovative and creative pathways for growth in an increasingly difficult socio-economic environment… Living up to the mission, ‘rethink your business,’ Agova has been able to map out feasible growth strategies for these businesses and solve challenges tied to this growth.

In 2019, Plant Catalyst approached Agova with the need to better understand the Zambian market for its all-natural GMO-free water additive product that boosts any plants’ natural ability to absorb and retain nutrients. After 2 years of operating in Zambia, Plant Catalyst was faced with low levels of product awareness coupled with poor distribution channels which ultimately influenced sales volumes. For 3 months, the Agova team of consultants conducted market research to identify optimal distribution channels for Plant Catalyst, and build a profile of their ideal target customer given Zambia’s highly competitive agro-input landscape.

“Indiana Baseden and her team at Agova are top-notch, quality consultants. As an American-based, sub-Saharan-focused CEO of an agricultural company, I needed to collect valuable insights and intel to expand market share, improve customer retention rates, and achieve other mission-critical goals for my expanding company in Zambia and East Africa.”

Following on from this first market research phase, the Agova team was further engaged to design and implement five pilot sales strategies all aimed at identifying and developing a growth strategy that would enable Plant Catalyst to rapidly penetrate the Zambian market. By focussing on the principles of shared value (or inclusive) business strategies, sales strategies were designed in such a way that Plant Catalyst could meet its business goals and transform the agriculture landscape for small holdings in rural communities.

Improved growth attributed to Plant Catalyst. PC: Afro Drip Tech

A new price point for retail outlets was piloted in partnership with Plant Catalyst’s main distribution partner in 5 provinces in Zambia. Radio jingles were produced and aired in Central and Copperbelt Provinces. Plant Catalyst’s digital marketing presence was kick-started through usual social media channels, targeting specifically Facebook boosted posts. Through partner NGOs such as iDE and World Vision, demo plots were set up using established farmer networks.

In terms of the pilots’ results, the change in price point proved most effective in resulting in sales, with an increase in sales 10 times higher than the previous year immediately following the change in price point. 5,000 target farmers were reached through demos and NGO partnerships, with an estimated 1,000 new customers that will be acquired through this channel during the 2020/2021 farming season and a further 3,000 in upcoming seasons.

Demonstration on the application of Plant Catalyst

Social media and community radio had the widest reach spanning across Central and Copperbelt Provinces reaching approximately 235,000 users online and 1.5 million listeners respectively. Although these were the most cost-effective and scalable pilots, further evaluation of these pilots needs to be conducted in order to determine the sales conversions.

“Agova delivered! Indiana was thoughtful, strategic, friendly, and she knew when to challenge me to produce a better product. I would highly recommend Indiana and Agova to any company who is interested in expanding their operations in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Agova is helping businesses explore and reframe their future growth by rethinking every element that makes them tick. Learn more about the impact created here.