Most Kasi consumers move in and out of developed and developing economies on a regular basis.

Kasi Star Brands measure township specific brand usage across 163 categories and are a spinoff of Ask Afrika Icon Brands, which are brands that are used most loyally by consumers across all socio-economic, cultural, racial, and other divides. 24 Kasi Star Brands were announced by Ask Afrika in this new benchmark. South African township consumers have voted with their wallets and hearts to identify these top brands that are used most loyally by South Africa’s township consumers.

Kasi Star Brands understand the township/Kasi market and make sure that products are available in the city where many Kasi consumers work, and are also available where the consumer lives. Kasi consumers usually do bulk shopping on Saturdays or month end, and since many are unbanked, they prefer to use cash.

A formal retailer, like Game, catered for this when they introduced groceries to their product range. Spaza shop owners are also important to Kasi Star Brands. They help make brands and products available to the Kasi consumers at a convenient time and when it is necessary to top up. In the informal economy 80% of spaza shops are foreign owned often with different family members working different shifts, they are convenient for Kasi consumers with closing hours between 18:00 and 21:00. They are often involved in group buying schemes and offer products within the informal market at good prices and they offer credit.

"It is important to sell products in many forms, so that the Kasi consumer is able to do a lot more with them. Different pack sizes will cater for different income groups and needs. Kasi Star Brands understand the practical requirements of products that must link up with Kasi living, for example packaging that will not tear or break while being used at home. Any brand or product must be of high quality to make the best of every meal and occasion," says Sarina de Beer, MD of Ask Afrika.

The brands that are successful in the Kasi market understand that products must be sold at an affordable price. Special prices and promotions in shops in the formal economy, like Shoprite, are very important, especially around pay day.

Kasi Star Brands truly care about the Kasi communities and are involved in programmes to empower communities to take care of themselves in the developing environment and provide access to services that are often taken for granted in more developed economies. These brands invest in programmes focussing on important aspects such as educating and feeding the young, providing child care support especially for orphans and vulnerable children, honouring the gogos in the society that not only take care of their own families, but also child-headed households who lost their parents and caregivers through illness and/or crime. Kasi Star Brands also help mothers with breast feeding programmes, teach Kasi consumers how to grow vegetable gardens, institute water management programmes, finance local sport teams, help local entrepreneurs to set-up shop and thereby provide a better life for themselves and their families.

"Kasi Star Brands view the Kasi consumer as a very important person. They know how skilled Kasi cooks are and have a good picture of a Kasi household. Kasi Star brands design products that fit into the Kasi consumer lifestyle," says de Beer.

Kasi consumers are very calculated in their shopping decisions, they will buy a product where they get the best deal and they save for quality products. Stokvels enable Kasi consumers to save for holidays such as Christmas and Easter and they often take supplies ‘home’, many live in the townships but have relatives in rural areas, which they consider as their homes. Cheaper products are associated with a tax discount. Kasi consumers love promotions, but say that the timings are often not aligned with their lifestyle needs.

The Kasi consumer’s money needs to work for them and it is important for brand owners to understand how to deliver the best ROI. Marketers need to understand the complex levels of planning, calculated living in the township environment, where purchase decisions are often less impulsive and spontaneous. Ask Afrika can assist marketers in co-planning.

Ask Afrika interviewed a total of 6763 Kasi consumers, and the Kasi Star Brands survey represents the views of 9 694 666 million Kasi consumers living in South Africa. It represents 73% of the overall South African township population. Face-to-face interviews were done within Kasi-households. To make sure everything is correct an external company BDO and Dr Neethling audited the results. In this year’s survey 24 Kasi Star Brands were identified, followed by winners across 163 product categories. These are the brands and products you are most likely to find in a South-African Kasi-household.

For more information and to order a report, phone +27 12 428-7400 or email Maria Petousis, TGI director at Ask Afrika at [email protected].