What we do
African market entry research of a specific kind: a one-week desk brief, or a 4-6 week city-level verdict, before capital moves.
01 · Desk brief
TACT FlashTM
About 1 week · secondary research
Buy Flash when it is too early for fieldwork, the question is channel-only, or you need to see what secondary sources can already support. It is a desk brief with no primary fieldwork: trade and infrastructure, competitive landscape, and where the data is too thin for a capital call.
- Trade and infrastructure scan, or a trade-only desk scope when that is the question
- Competitive landscape scan across direct and adjacent players
- Data-gap assessment: what can be known from the desk, and what still needs primary evidence
- If Compass is commissioned within 30 days of delivery, the Flash fee credits toward that sprint
02 · Flagship sprint
TACT CompassTM
4-6 weeks · primary fieldwork · one city or several
The flagship market entry diagnostic. The report ends with one call: enter, enter differently, or do not enter. Trade can reverse a go even when consumer demand looks strong. Consumer, trade, and competitive evidence are gathered in the same sprint and weighted 60/30/10.
Sample size is set per city. A single-city sprint is built for depth. Two or three cities are built for comparison, with field teams working at the same time so the overall timetable stays at four to six weeks. The method stays the same in every city in scope.
- Consumer (60%): survey, IDIs, and one focus group per city, focused on payable demand
- Trade (30%, veto): general trade, distributors, and modern trade buyers. If the trade gate fails, the recommendation changes even when consumer demand is strong
- Competitive (10%): category mapping, pricing, positioning, and white space among direct and adjacent players
- Written report as the core output, with a live executive readout and follow-up access available when the decision process needs them
Method
Trade can reverse a go, even when consumers look ready
Consumer
Will people pay?
City-level demand: price, occasion, and who actually buys.
Trade
VetoWill the channel take it?
Retailers and distributors: listing, margin, movement. If this fails, the call changes.
Competitive
Is there room?
Price, position, and white space at the planned price point.
Outcomes
Three possible recommendations from one engagement
Leadership leaves with a single call they can take into committee, and the evidence path documented underneath.
- 01
Enter
The market supports entry. We define the recommended go-to-market path.
- 02
Enter differently
Potential exists, but the original thesis needs a commercial adjustment.
- 03
Do not enter
Trade, competitive, or demand signals do not support entry at this time.
Which product fits the decision in front of you?
Book a consultation to scope TACT Flash or TACT Compass against the capital call you need to make.
