We are living in unprecedented times. COVID-19 has swept
throughout the world, and governments
globally have taken drastic
measures to stop the spread in an attempt to save
lives. In February 2020, as African countries watched Asia and Europe
begin the implementation of lockdown, a study by Survey54, an automated
mobile-led data collection platform, found that approximately 80% of
Africans interviewed felt almost immune to the
virus as they were yet to hear of any confirmed cases on the continent.
This did not last long and by Mid-March, lockdown procedures were
initiated across Africa. Despite the swift response, lockdown came with
many challenges that drastically affected a continent
which heavily depends on the informal sector. With roughly 90% of
Africans now concerned for their finances, the sentiment towards
COVID-19 has shifted drastically.
No one and nowhere seems to be immune from the impact of
this pandemic, as was made evident when, one week into the nationwide
lockdown, South Africa was downgraded to “junk”
status. Other African countries including Tanzania and Angola are now
said to also be experiencing economic instability as a result of this
pandemic.
Despite the uncertainty that has been brought about by the
pandemic, tech-enabled companies have witnessed increased demand from
individuals, businesses and even governments
who seek to bridge existing communication and logistics gaps[i].
Businesses globally have started to prioritise digital
transformation strategies to ensure business continuity. To complement
this reliance on technology, surveys and insights
studies are being conducted across Europe and the US to help businesses
understand customer needs and attitudes. However, gathering this
information within Africa has proven to be difficult due to a lack of
infrastructure.
Survey54’s AI mobile technology enables businesses to get
the answers they need to make decisions based on up-to-the-minute data
in areas that are otherwise difficult to reach.
Stephan Eyeson, CEO and Co-Founder of Survey54, says, “Our AI mobile
technology enables businesses to get the answers they need during these
uncertain times.”
Stephan Eyeson, CEO and Co-Founder of Survey54
A study conducted by Survey54 across the continent found
that almost 70% of survey participants in Nigeria no longer felt safe to
go food shopping, a sign that customer behaviour
is indeed changing and further indication that by looking into data and
insights, African businesses and those operating on the continent have
the opportunity to find innovative ways to cater to the needs of
consumers in an efficient and informed manner. Businesses
can make use of services such as Survey54 for consumer insights to
improve product offerings and strengthen their overall marketing and
communications strategy in times of uncertainty.
Survey54 offers businesses relevant and timely data on
countries within Africa that can help validate assumptions and stress
test strategies even during nationwide lockdowns.
Following their recent COVID-19 consumer perception study across
Africa, Eyeson revealed some interesting findings including the fact
that almost 55% of Nigerians decided to spend more time on personal
development by taking online courses, perhaps proving
that this is a chance for more unconventional modes of education to
take root in the country. With 93% of the people who took the survey
fearing for their finances during the lockdown, the question is whether
these newly acquired skills will lead to a paradigm
shift in terms of job creation and income generation after the
pandemic.
In South Africa, it was found that 72% of survey takers
felt financially affected by the pandemic, whereas amongst Ghanaians,
this number dropped to 46%. This stark contrast
of figures could suggest organisations would be mistaken for
generalising the impact of the pandemic across the continent.
Moving forward, businesses and countries on the continent
must strategize on short-, medium-, and long-term goals using accurate
and up-to-date customer data. Eyeson suggests
that “Further research, leveraging real-time
opinion polls and audience
sentiment, should be conducted on the ground post-COVID-19 to identify
opportunities that the pandemic has inadvertently presented
us with.”
For further information on the impact of COVID-19 in emerging markets report, or to find out more about Survey54, go to https://survey54.com/
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