A location-based service mobile marketing model for small businesses: a case of Nairobi

Abstract

Small businesses play a big role in Kenya's economy by creating more employment and generating more output in terms of production and income than larger businesses due to their high numbers. In Nairobi competition is the most pressing challenge for small businesses of which lack innovation and market information to keep up with customer needs. These small enterprises are located within dense markets and overcrowded streets thus making it difficult and time consuming for customers to locate them. Furthermore, small businesses have difficulty in reaching out to customers since they rely on cheap conventional means of advertising such as word of mouth and use of posters at the entrance of the business premises. An LBS mobile marketing model does not exist for the Kenyan small business market to complement other marketing methods and tools and to provide an easy way for customers to locate small businesses. A location-based service mobile marketing model has been developed to provide a solution to these problems faced. The model was tested by implementing a mobile web application prototype created from several web technologies (HTML5, Javascript, XML, PHP & MySQL). All the components of the model with the exception of one were implemented and tested. The results obtained from the testing phase showed that the function and usability features are successful. However, the compatibility tests show incompatibility with some mobile web browsers for the prototype. It is recommended that native mobile applications of the prototype be developed and all the features of the model be implemented firstly on a pilot scale and eventually on a production scale. Further research should also be done to determine user acceptance tests of the implemented model and its commercial viability to small businesses.