Our research on MSMEs is to better understand the merchant ecosystem, their mental models, behaviors and practices, so we can create incentives for merchants to digitize their business and connect them to tailored financial services, such as microloans for working capital.
This white paper considers the likely effects of an important new phenomenon that may accelerate the “pull” factor of digital...
FIBR explored the potential of superplatforms, the major tech platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and others and their impact...
The promise of e-commerce for small business owners in Africa Njeri is a 29-year-old single woman living in...
Superplatforms & Small Merchants Series #2 Meet Agnes, Moses, & Anita Traditional, “informal” retailers dominate the commercial landscape in...
Small merchants need to create and maintain trust with customers to sell online, but they could use more help...
MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium enterprises) need capital. They need startup capital, they need expansion capital and they also...
Running a Small Shop is a Tough Job When I was growing up, the corner store was a convenient...
How do you design and pilot a credit solution for small merchants? This new case study from FIBR shares...
MSMEs Have Different Financing Needs in Four Discrete Stages Small shops or “dukas” account for 80 percent of employment...
Understanding the Financial Health of Small Shops in Africa Juma*, a small shop owner in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, is...
Tips for Communicating with and Helping Agents Through a Messaging Service Agents serve as the face of PAYGo and...
Micro-consulting to Provide MSMEs with Practical Advice Micro and small retailers (referred to as small merchants here) play a...
Certain Behaviors Can Help Providers Unmask a Business’ Readiness for Financing We previously explored the life cycle of a...
Small merchants in emerging markets are increasingly adopting digital commerce to expand their customer base and market their goods...
An Immersive Experience with Informal Retailers in Africa Produced and Developed by: Abi Steinberg, Videographer and Director: Adam Wisema...
The Case in Kenya Starting from the Microfinance Bill in 2006 up to the runaway success of the mobile...
Four Lessons for Training Computer Vision Models Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies offer many opportunities to augment and extend business...
Finbots for Shopkeepers Series #4 In this series I have described how smartphone sensors can generate raw data and...
Finbots for Shopkeepers Series #2 What is the one thing small shopkeepers and professional hackers have in...
How FIBR combines low-income customer’s relationships with local businesses, emerging data captured through smartphones, and a broader set of...
FIBR’s product recognition app helps merchants and shopkeepers to find and price products based on characteristics in smartphone camera...
FIBR sees the potential of AI and machine learning for small business merchants and shopkeepers in the ability to...
The merchant assistant is a voice-activated artificial intelligence tool that allows shopkeepers to obtain certain on-demand information related to...
FIBR’s suggested purchase app allows merchants and shopkeepers to budget their costs and expenses based on a demand forecast...
Javier Linares, the FIBR project’s product manager, describes how smartphone cameras can help shopkeepers track inventory and sales. This...