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How important are pre-incubation programmes?
The basic principle is the more you understand who your customers are, the more accurately you can predict what they want to buy.
The majority of businesses, social enterprises included, concentrate on innovations and fail to align their brand with customer needs. However, it is primordial to identify potential customers and understand their needs to develop a product or service that will interest them. The rule is simple, without knowing who your customer is and what he needs, you cannot persuade them to buy.
There are countless ideas out there, some might even be brilliant and unique, but at the end of the day, a product or service needs to be purchased by someone in order to succeed as an enterprise. And that someone is your consumer. It is therefore imperative at the early stages of your journey to understand your consumer and essentially “who you are talking to”.
1. Research: ask questions related to your product or enterprise idea and value feedback.
2. Test: Make your brand, product, or service available to the public and observe how they respond. Try to charge for what you hope to sell and be wise about it. Treating your test phase with attention will help you make the most of the opportunity to fine-tune your concept while also testing your consumer base.
3. Never stop asking: The masterful trick here though is listening to what people say, and appropriately responding to their comments. From consumers’ standpoint, engagement, and loyalty explodes when they feel like the brand has listened to their thoughts, and then acted on them. If you can do this, then you are one step closer to creating lifelong customers.
You can clearly see what your selling proposal is by defining your target audience and segmenting them based on their industry or other characteristics, as well as by identifying their demands.
Ultimately, all customer needs can be categorised into three main types: functional, social, and emotional needs.
1. Functional Needs
Customers typically evaluate potential solutions based on whether they’ll help them achieve a particular task or function. The product or service that best addresses their functional need is likely to be the one they purchase or hire.
2. Social Needs
A social need is a customer need that relates to how a person wants to be perceived by others when using a product or service. By understanding various social needs, you can look for patterns among your users. If enough of your customers share a particular need, consider how it can inform your product development, sales, and marketing processes.
3. Emotional Needs
Emotional needs are similar to social needs in that they’re typically secondary to functional needs. Emotional needs refer to how a customer wants to feel. Discover more about customers’ needs here.
Now that we’ve covered how to figure out who your customers are and what they want and need, it’s time to put that information into action!
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Julia holds a BA in Visual Communication from The Arts University of Bournemouth and a Master’s in Design Management from Northumbria University, where she explored how design thinking can drive social innovation and human sustainability in Mauritius. She began her career in graphic design, working with agencies and freelancing in branding before shifting to impact-led initiatives. In 2020, she joined Small Step Matters, Mauritius’ first social crowdfunding platform, where she led website redesigns, built CSR partnerships, and implemented creative fundraising solutions. Julia joined Trampoline in March 2024 to lead ideation workshops, foster ecosystem connections, and support the development of innovative projects. With her background in design, communication, and project coordination, she is committed to building a thriving impact innovation ecosystem in Mauritius.