Many consumers buy prepaid cards to recharge their cell phones. Mayotte and the Reunion Island are one of the last areas that still sell these cards in the form of paper scratch cards. This system entails very high procurement and management costs.
It is in this market context that our client, the operator Orange, called upon our consultants specialized in mobile financial services to analyze the relevance and feasibility of launching a dematerialization solution for paper scratch cards that are costly and logistically challenging.
To meet this challenge, our client requested a benchmark of specific solutions to determine the one best suited in order to dematerialize these cards on the territory of Mayotte while also ensuring compatibility with the Reunion Island.
Our expert consultants in mobile financial services were to propose the chosen business and technical scenarios, as well as the development of the corresponding strategies and business plans.
Solution study taking into account commercial and technical impacts
For this purpose, they conducted a commercial and technical benchmark.
A study of the local market in Mayotte was carried out with 63 retailers who were interviewed about their mobile refill sales activity as well as 11 retailers from the Reunion Island. Several technical solutions were presented to them in order to identify their skills and to have their future validations. Their feedback is extremely valuable as they know the preferences of the customers who buy the mobile scratch cards.
Then, a technical solution was chosen. It had to be compatible with the specificities of Mayotte. It had to take into account multiple criteria in terms of costs, functionalities, references... as well as business scenarios.
Next, our consultants developed market elasticity scenarios according to the technical solutions. Indeed, users will be confronted with real changes. Consumers' needs being important, the distribution strategy is rather intensive, it is necessary that these cards are distributed to a large number of points of sale.
Corresponding business plans have been drawn up with several scenarios that have been prioritized.
Market potential and consumer expectations clarified
Our study of the mobile top-up card market enabled our client to have a precise knowledge of the Mahoran market, its expectations and the actual functioning of the different distribution channels (Doukas, Douka Bé, IPS).
In order to allow the residents of remote areas to be able to buy basic necessities, the "Doukas" are proximity stores essential to the economic life of the Reunion Island.
Douka Bé is a grocery store brand.
The IPS is a distribution channel in kiosks.
It also provides technical solutions to dematerialize rechargeable paper scratch cards that are likely to be used in the short and long term.
It can estimate the costs of the different technical and business scenarios.
It also has the planning to be implemented for each scenario.
