Over the past few months, we have been developing an Android application called pesaDroid, which enables MPESA users to track their transactions and generate statements from the SMS messages sent to their phones. The free edition has been doing very well in the past few weeks.
It has been an interesting experience.
Everywhere I go, I am pleased to note that many people have upgraded to Android handsets. In Kenya today, there are two types of Android owners - those that like the technology - lets call them techies and those that want a socially up to date phone - call them trendies. Soon we will have Android early majority users - and we are preparing our app to meet their needs.
You can safely assume that most techies have or can easily gain access to a credit or debit card such as the Safaricom MPESA prepay Card, which would enable them to make online purchases. As it were, it has been very difficult to convince our users to make an online credit card payment - MPESA is much better, it seems. The task of convincing them to buy our app, of course still is the developer's homework. However, the development of the Android app market in Kenya strongly depends on ability to pay for apps by MPESA.
On the other hand, the trendies do not know how capable their Android phones are. In particular, have not linked their Gmail accounts - hence the market is inactive! I have observed great delight when I have assisted several users obtain a bible app to their phones. We now realize that we must put as much effort towards teaching users what their Android gadgets can do as in teaching them what our apps can do.
It has been an interesting experience.
Everywhere I go, I am pleased to note that many people have upgraded to Android handsets. In Kenya today, there are two types of Android owners - those that like the technology - lets call them techies and those that want a socially up to date phone - call them trendies. Soon we will have Android early majority users - and we are preparing our app to meet their needs.
You can safely assume that most techies have or can easily gain access to a credit or debit card such as the Safaricom MPESA prepay Card, which would enable them to make online purchases. As it were, it has been very difficult to convince our users to make an online credit card payment - MPESA is much better, it seems. The task of convincing them to buy our app, of course still is the developer's homework. However, the development of the Android app market in Kenya strongly depends on ability to pay for apps by MPESA.
On the other hand, the trendies do not know how capable their Android phones are. In particular, have not linked their Gmail accounts - hence the market is inactive! I have observed great delight when I have assisted several users obtain a bible app to their phones. We now realize that we must put as much effort towards teaching users what their Android gadgets can do as in teaching them what our apps can do.
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