Safaricom’s Pochi la Biashara has emerged as one of the company’s fastest-growing financial products, with its customer base reaching 2.2 million and overtaking the one million merchants using Lipa na M-PESA.
The product has recorded remarkable growth, rising from 600,000 users in 2024 to 1.1 million in 2025 before doubling to 2.2 million.
A study by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) offers insights into what has driven this growth, particularly among women microentrepreneurs.
The research involved 1,992 women microentrepreneurs using digital financial services across Nairobi, Murang’a and Kajiado. It found that although Pochi was already popular among Kenyans running small businesses and side hustles, many women traders were not making full use of its available features.
Two features were particularly important for women traders. Senders cannot reverse transactions made to Pochi, while the recipient’s phone number is not visible to the sender. These safeguards can help reduce fraud and unwanted contact.
However, awareness of Pochi’s features did not always translate into usage.
For example, 48 per cent of new Pochi users were aware of the mini-statement feature, but only 8 per cent had used it. Similarly, 71 per cent were aware of Lipa na Pochi, but only 53 per cent were using it.
Awareness of the airtime feature, which allows users to buy or sell airtime, stood at 34 per cent, while actual usage was only 7 per cent.
Safaricom responded by increasing customer education through targeted text messages highlighting specific features and offering incentives to encourage usage. In one initiative, customers received 5 per cent cashback after reaching a specified threshold of Lipa na Pochi transactions.
The company also discovered that getting customers to sign up was only the beginning. Follow-up engagement was crucial in ensuring they continued using the service.
According to the study, some Pochi users dropped off after initial registration because they received little follow-up engagement or reminders on how to use the service and its practical benefits.
Safaricom, therefore, deployed trade representatives to provide hands-on demonstrations, showing customers how to make payments and withdrawals directly from Pochi. The “learning by doing” approach helped address misconceptions, improve understanding and build confidence among women traders.
Call centre teams also contacted customers to identify barriers preventing them from using specific features and guide them on how those services could support their businesses.
Peer recommendations proved equally important.
Nearly 49 per cent of new Pochi users first learned about the service through friends or family, while 21 per cent adopted it after receiving a recommendation from someone they knew.
The study also highlighted the importance of meeting customers on their preferred channels.
Although 70 per cent of women surveyed owned smartphones, most accessed Pochi through USSD instead of the My OneApp or M-PESA app.
USSD remained popular because it was considered simple, reliable and did not require mobile data. However, users complained that the process involved too many steps, prompting Safaricom to simplify the USSD journey.
The findings point to a broader lesson for digital financial services: product availability alone does not guarantee adoption. Continuous education, follow-up, incentives, peer recommendations, hands-on support, and simpler customer journeys can determine whether customers merely sign up or become active, long-term users. Also Read: Pochi la Biashara Powers Financial Inclusion Revolution for Women Entrepreneurs in Kenya
