Viewpoint: Business Fails the BOP
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Businesses have made significant strides in the last 40 years, identifying innovations that make serving the world’s poorest profitable. Single-use packets developed by giants like Proctor and Gamble made fast-moving consumer goods affordable. Mobile technology leapfrogged conventional telecom in Africa, improving connectivity and reach. Capital inflows from micro-financing opened small business opportunities for billions. These innovations, and many others, have enabled multinational corporations to enter emerging economies and create profitable products and services at scale.
Although these innovations have unleashed markets, traditional for-profits have made two serious errors in serving the base of the pyramid (BOP).