Hi, my name is Seye Ayorinde, and I am the VP of Product here at Propel. When a laptop crashes, it could be a dream that also crashes! I can say I understand the profundity of this because of my encounter with a certain Ada, a dogged and talented young software developer from Enugu whose story has inspired and continues to inspire all of us at Propel.
With a flair for coding and a dream to launch a groundbreaking app to help rural communities in West Africa carry out safe and seamless mobile payments, Ada spent countless nights perfecting her project on what appeared to be a worn-out laptop. Despite its slow performance and frequent crashes, she managed to make a way where there was none, and finally developed her software solution.
One day, Ada received an invitation to pitch her app at a prestigious tech conference in Nairobi, an opportunity that could secure her funding and mentorship from global investors. Overwhelmed with a mix of euphoria and that hope of a breakthrough she had fantasized about for so long, she prepared her demo and ensured her laptop was in its best shape.
The day of the pitch arrived, and Ada found herself standing before a panel of influential investors. As she began her demo, her laptop suddenly froze, and the screen went blank. Panic set in, and despite her best efforts to revive the device, it remained unresponsive. The investors, though sympathetic, couldn’t fully grasp the potential of her app without a proper demonstration.
The encounter
At the time we spoke with Ada, she had returned to Lagos, her dreams seemingly shattered by a malfunctioning device. However, her story didn’t end there. Having heard about her misfortune, we rallied our tech communities together to support her. We organized a crowdfunding campaign, raising enough money to get her a new, high-performance laptop. Long story short, with renewed morale and a new device, Ada refined her app and eventually caught the attention of another investor, and this time around, it clicked!
For many emerging market talents like Ada, a device is more than just a device. It is where ideas are born, projects take shape, and innovations are brought to life. Our encounter with this brilliant young software developer inspired us to start thinking differently and more intentionally about the impact of reliable finance on the success stories of tech talents across the world.
The light bulb moment
Months later, we decided to address this gap in a more automated and scalable way, a way that could help us empower thousands more like Ada. So we designed our new Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) feature, which is aimed at providing tech professionals with a flexible financing option for purchasing essential devices like laptops, mobile phones, generators, and inverters.
We wanted to present this to the Nigerian market first, and so when we approached our financial services partner, Klump to collaborate on developing our BNPL feature, the targets on our mind were tech professionals in Nigeria who often require high-quality devices to perform their jobs effectively but may not have the immediate funds to make such purchases: software engineers, product managers, designers, QA, and other tech-savvy individuals across every experience level, from newbie to Director.
What our tech communities in Nigeria get to enjoy from our BNPL option goes far beyond a very affordable and flexible payment plan. We have also listed only verified vendors such as iStore and PC Planet to ensure access to quality products. What’s more? We offer an easy and quick return policy on the devices purchased from any of our verified vendors.
Leaving nothing to chance
Just like Ada on the path to developing her app, developing our BNPL feature also came with its set of challenges and learnings. Considering the number of processes required to ensure we provide the best service to our users, we needed to carefully think through every aspect of it, develop primary and secondary paths for each step of the process, and thoroughly test everything, leaving nothing to chance.
Working with our reliable financial services partner, Klump, was very helpful during the development phase, particularly as it concerned building a reliable and user-friendly experience.
One major challenge we encountered was working with third-party services to help carry out financial analysis for our customers. Intermittent failures slowed us down and were a huge risk to the process, so we needed to develop backup systems to assure service uptime, while being able to still provide real-time updates to users. In all, we worked very closely with Klump’s team in conducting thorough testing to iron out all these issues.
The joys of communityhood
We know that every digital touchpoint we build for our valuable communities is better when it is built with them. So we tested the BNPL feature with a select group of customers. We received invaluable feedback from them, which allowed us to fine-tune the feature for a broader launch.
Whilst we are still open to feedback and improving the service for our users, it is impossible to deny the joy we feel from the positive comments that are pouring in from early users of our BNPL feature.
One tech professional mentioned, “The BNPL option allowed me to purchase a high-performance laptop that I couldn’t afford upfront. The process was straightforward, and spreading the cost over three months made a huge difference.”
Another user highlighted the convenience, saying, “with the way the electricity situation has been in the country, it was great to see alternative power sources available at a great price with a convenient payment schedule”
Gathering momentum
Looking ahead, we know this solution still needs to transform in line with evolving market needs. In the near term, we plan to expand the range of products available on Propel for financing. Whatever our communities need to improve the quality of their personal or professional lives, they will find it at an affordable rate on Propel.
We’re also working on enhancing the user experience by ensuring access to the devices that meet a wider range of specific preferences.
Further down the line, we aim to expand the BNPL option to other markets in Africa, leveraging our learnings from Nigeria to tailor the solution to different financial ecosystems. Additionally, we are exploring partnerships with more financial institutions to offer even more flexible and competitive financing terms.
Our ultimate goal is to make technology accessible to a broader audience, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder professional growth and productivity.
And this is just the beginning for us.
Learn how to use our BNPL feature here
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