A Deep Look Into The Growth Of MarTech In Africa

In recent years, Africa has emerged as a hotbed for innovation and technological advancement, with a remarkable surge in the adoption and development of technology in multiple sectors around the continent. This has not exempted Marketing Technology, or rather MarTech, as it is on the rise on the continent.

Once underestimated, Africa is fast and swiftly positioning itself as a force to be reckoned with in the realm of digital marketing. From Cape Town to Nairobi, Lagos to Johannesburg, a digital revolution is underway, fueled by a confluence of factors that are reshaping the marketing landscape.

The evolution of marketing is now a reality as technology agencies are emerging thus challenging brands to focus on reducing the costs of campaigns, the turnaround time of launching promotions and tracking ROI.

We had a chat with one of these agencies that are looking to disrupt the African marketing space with digital solutions, bringing an edge to MarTech in the continent. Based in Nairobi, Coupon Kenya, has successfully positioned itself as a marketing technology agency operating in the East African region.

“MarTech is reshaping how brands connect with their audience by providing channels to generate meaningful data and scale their campaigns,” Evalyne Wanjiku, Product Manager said.

We are currently living in a post-covid era and are experiencing one of the biggest effects of the pandemic on technology – fast-tracked digital transformation. Brands that have been slow to adapt to digital transformation on all fronts are still limping in their marketing efforts.

Evalyne Wanjiku believes that successful brands have a strong culture of experimentation, they should not be comfortable in duplicating strategies but rather evolve with what their consumer is looking for.

“To have a better strategic view, brands need to experiment with campaign automation tools to connect directly with their customers and meet them at their point of convenience,” Evalyne advises.

“We have developed the first manufacturer’s coupons in Kenya that will enable FMCGs to give discounts directly to consumers at their next-door Kiosk/Dukas. We have also developed bouquets of gamifications tools that are changing how brands engage and interact with consumers online and offline while also driving the brand story. And finally, we are launching the first proximity marketing technology in Africa that will change how consumers interact with brands and how brands undertake activations,” Naftal Nyabuto, Group CEO said when asked about some of the technologies they have been able to develop for the regional market.

“With this fast-changing market evolutions, the consequences of not being agile may frustrate your efforts of future proofing your organizations from such disruptions. A pain point that could be navigated by embracing new technology to reshape your capabilities. This challenge influenced Coupon Kenya’s mandate to collaborate with brands and inspire them to make bold marketing decisions anchored on technology,” Naftal added.

Campaign automation tools helps brands to reduce the logistical cost involved in campaign planning and execution. Having a view on real time campaign performance makes it easy for brand managers to adjust strategy to achieve optimal results. In a world where first party data is the new tech lingo, consumer data point like names and mobile numbers are not enough to make a strategic business decision. Coupon Kenya’s marketing technology solutions helps brand to gain useful data to generate reliable predictions on campaign performance.

Traditionally, marketing in Africa has relied heavily on traditional media channels and face-to-face interactions. However, the rise of MarTech has revolutionized the way businesses engage with consumers, opening new avenues for reaching target audiences and optimizing marketing strategies. The proliferation of smartphones, affordable data plans, and the expansion of e-commerce platforms have created an ecosystem ripe for the adoption of MarTech solutions, allowing businesses to leverage data-driven insights, automate processes, and deliver personalized experiences at scale.

In a bid to help marketers adopt these technologies faster, Coupon Kenya believes in collaborating with their clients to develop tech solutions that work for diverse audiences and inspire them to be creatively techy.