Quick Poll Results: Why choose prepaid mobile services even if you had choice of postpaid

Quick Poll: Why do you prefer prepaid for your phone and data even if you could choose to have postpaid?
— The Prepaid Economy (@prepaid_africa) September 27, 2014

I just asked this question on the @prepaid_africa timeline and the findings were not only insightful and illuminating but also validated my observations in the field.

Trust

@kenyanpundit @prepaid_africa because personally convinced from experience they rob clients via opacity in billing, service inefficiency
— Daisy Jerop (@daisyjerop) September 27, 2014

@kenyanpundit @prepaid_africa Terribly slow/complicated billing. Zero transparency on what I am paying for.
— Dan Aceda (@danaceda) September 27, 2014

Control

@prepaid_africa Budgeting. For services that arent essential, I won't want to "over-use" such services at the expense of my pocket.
— 'Yinka and 2 others (@AmurawaiyeA) September 27, 2014

@prepaid_africa with post paid, control of what is spent is harder. We want to have control.
— 'Yinka and 2 others (@AmurawaiyeA) September 27, 2014

@prepaid_africa oh yes! CONTROL here is key.
— Biko Wesa (@BikoWESA) September 27, 2014

Uncertainty

Fear of bills!@kenyanpundit @prepaid_africa
— Ken kigira (@KKigira) September 27, 2014

@prepaid_africa not most of us like the 'element of surprise'
— Biko Wesa (@BikoWESA) September 27, 2014

Concluding thoughts

I'd thrown out the idea that the cornerstones of financial services innovation for the vast majority of the African market where 96% of hundreds of millions of mobile phone users are all on the prepaid (pay as you go) business model were the following three elements:

Flexibility ~ Uncertainty ~ Negotiability

That is, the greater the span of control the customer (end user) has over the timing and amount to be paid, including frequency and periodicity of payments, the greater the chance that such a business model or payment plan would be successful.

These findings from a quick poll only serve to validate and underline these thoughts.