Consumer focused companies in Africa typically limit their focus to a handful of national capitals or major cities. This approach makes sense, but overlooks a critical opportunity: fast-growing consumer potential in secondary cities. Here, we call segments of the population that can purchase ‘premium products’ the Consumer Class, or ABC1 consumers. With this in mind, we take a closer look at Kenya’s secondary markets:

When analyzing consumers with the most purchasing power in Kenya, we unsurprisingly found the largest concentration in Nairobi. Yet, in addition to Nairobi, there are significant numbers of top-tier consumers in Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombasa, and Nakuru.

Zooming in at the neighborhood level, we can identify hotspots of consumers for an area as small as 1×1 square kilometer. Eldoret, which is the capital of Uasin Gishu county and the one of the largest cities in the country, stands out with about 210,000 ABC1 consumers.

Beyond locating promising neighborhoods, Fraym can support companies in evaluating site locations based on proximity to potential consumers. Using estimated drive times, we can define and analyze a catchment area – or a locale in which residents may be more likely to visit a store. For example, consider a retail space in Zion mall, one of the first malls constructed in Eldoret. About 180,000 ABC1 consumers reside within a 15-minute drive of this mall.

Companies often focus their attention on national capitals, leaving promising markets elsewhere untapped. Using advanced geospatial methods, we can pinpoint target consumers at the national, sub-national, and local level to effectively expand a company’s footprint.