Why Responsive Web Design in Mobile Centric Africa is Simple Business Sense

Africa is a ripe market to expand your business and with a responsive mobile web design, your customers are there waiting for you. The media stereotype would have you believe that Africa a place of almost irredeemable poverty, deprivation, and lacking modern technology. Did you know the average Sub-Saharan African woman touches her hair 37 times per day, but checks her mobile phone 82 times per day?

Source: Pexels/Brett Sayles

In some areas, mobile Internet is the only Internet

Excluded from the PC revolution by price and stable connectivity, African countries are not only mobile first but also mobile only markets.

The region’s mobile subscriber base has grown by 18% a year over the past five years to 253-million unique users and 502-million connections. Africa is one of the few areas in the world where growth in both mobile connections and service revenue will increase over the next five years.

“But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in observing people on their mobile devices, it’s that they’ll do anything on mobile if they have the need.” –Luke Wroblewski

How are Africans using mobile phones?

Mobile phone users pay for gas, bills and groceries using their phones. They also use the mobile Internet for education as it is an affordable option compared to owning a PC. More people will spend the couple hundred dollars on a phone because it is a necessity in modern life. However, the manufacturing expenses in the region keep the price of a computer at several thousand dollars. In most families, a computer is not considered a necessary household item.

A new report on the African telecommunications market highlights that mobile penetration in Africa hit 80 percent in the first quarter of this year and is still growing at 4.2 percent annually. The massive reduction in the costs of owning a mobile phone contributes to this growth.

Last year, the price of entry-level smart phones was around $120. In 2014, the price of a 3G smart phone is under $100 and the hardware is much more powerful compared to the old model.

But what is Responsive Web Design?

A website that adopts its design and layout to fit the specifications of the device used and it does this by dynamically adjusting to different screen sizes. It also adjusts the positioning of any images, text, and video. On a computer screen, it may appear to be a website with large images spread through three columns but on a mobile device it will appear to have smaller images in a single column.

Thankfully, you don’t need multiple codes written for each type of device. A single set of code created with CSS3 accepts various specification parameters from the device will change your website accordingly.

It looks fantastic and takes away the need to build a separate m.website for mobile devices that you will forget to update. Google recommends it too!

Source: Unplash/Shalom Mwenesi

The market is changing

Armed with this information, and the ability to adapt to phones, computers, and tablets, responsive web design is the way to go for businesses. You won’t need to worry what device they are using. With the limited images and focusing on mostly links, it also keeps the data consumption and loading time low, and can lead to a big boost for your company sales!

Most of Africa owns a “dumb” phone as smart phones haven’t reached the average user. Data consumption and loading time is a still large concern. But recent predictions say when the price of the entry-level device reaches $90, or perhaps $60, the smart phone will replace the feature phone in Africa. Technology is getting better and better for the average person!

African countries are hungry for information, entertainment, and education. Remember that gender, religion, political views and news consumption habits of the region will have a powerful effect on the shape of the African market and your potential customers. Know your target audience well and your business will have a great lead on the competition.

If you want to tap the African market, responsive web design is a step in the right direction.

Have you had success expanding into Africa? Do you have any advice for businesses looking to expand in the region? We would love to hear about it!