Business model innovation at the bottom of the pyramid - A case of mobile money agents

Business models have historically facilitated the ability of firms to create and capture value. Focusing on financial service agents (FSAs) as actors in the Nigerian financial services industry, this study helps to elucidate how value creation and distribution can facilitate business model innovation (BMI) in an emerging market. We deployed Osterwalder and Pigneur's business model canvas alongside Amit and Zott's Sources of Value in e-Business (SVCeB) model in mapping FSA business models and value creation sources. We find that the constant need to align the resources of a firm with the demand conditions at the customer end triggers the need for BMI by FSAs. The findings also demonstrate that FSAs have weak business models that inhibit their sustainability and ultimately impede their ability to play their role in closing the country's financial exclusion gap. We suggest the need for business model innovation by FSAs as a pathway to viability, profitability and sustainability.

The role of product development practices on new product performance: Evidence from Nigeria's financial services providers

This study investigates the impact of product development practices on the performance of new financial products and services through the analysis of ten in-depth case studies. We argue that weak product development practices negatively affect product performance. This study finds that in Nigeria, new financial product performance is suboptimal because of poor product development practices. This study further shows that when poor execution follows inadequate product development practices, the likelihood of product failure increases, as evidenced by poor product performance and low adoption. The processes adopted in the development of financial services affect the adoption, use, and overall penetration of the product in the target market. Therefore, this study suggests that the management team of various financial service providers invest in developing sound product development practices in the actualization of their goals of increasing the adoption and use of their products.