Low Price Does Not Mean Good Value

Kinu Ink is a digital agency based in Comoros that provides expert services in matters related to design, web development, branding and digital marketing. Claiming to be “Craftsmen of digital experiences and services”, the agency was established in 2013 and is not only the 1st but also the only digital agency in Comoros. Hence, it is no surprise that the Site.pro team met with the CEO of Kinu Ink Digital Agency, Toimimou Ibrahim, to talk about the hosting market in the islands, internet connection, problems and solutions related to buying domains, business successes and failures, and more.

Comoros in Numbers

The Comoro Islands or Comoros is a group of islands located off the southeast coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. The islands are scattered in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel, and with a population of around 900K, Comoros is one of the world’s poorest countries. Even though there seems to be some percent increase in the internet penetration rate compared to previous years, now estimated internet penetration rate is not more than 25%, which is still low.
The official languages of the islands are French and Arabic, when people usually read and write in Arabic and use French for speaking (French is also the language of administration). Since locals usually use cash to pay for products or services, there are only about 15 ATMs on the islands, which are mostly used by tourists.

Hosting and Internet Services

There is only one local hosting provider in the country, Comores Telecom, which is very slow and expensive. That is why, when people need hosting they usually choose to host outside and use servers in other countries. The most preferable countries for hosting outside are France, USA, Netherlands, and Singapore.
Even though local hosting services create difficulties for people, the same cannot be said about the Internet. Internet submarine cables not only connect East African countries, but also ensure stable and strong internet connection. Moreover, both speakers agree that internet coverage is really good throughout the island and that 4G network is available even at the top of the volcano.

Purchasing a Domain in Comoros

The local domain name in Comoros is .dk, but there are several challenges for those wishing to register it. First of all, the price of a .km domain is about $20 per month or somewhere about $200 per year, which is very expensive. The result is that there are less than 1000 local domains in the islands.
Secondly, the registration of the domain name must be done physically, meaning that you have to go to the office of Comores Telecom, fill in some forms, pay money and wait. When local companies or persons get discontent with the situation, some national telecommunication companies tend to manipulate and even threaten to stop selling domain names to them.
Nevertheless, Toimimou Ibrahim has bright hopes that it will become much easier in the future and the management of .dk domains is going to be done online.

Profitable Advice

During their time in the market, both Kinu Ink Digital Agency and Site.pro shared some important lessons they learned and discussed the best ways of doing business:

1. Treat every customer in a custom way;
2. Scale the product to satisfy the majority, not everyone individually;
3. Work on conversions;
4. Allow growth hacks to improve metrics;
5. Work on funnels to minimize losses;
6. Conduct more CustDevs (Customer Development) and UX test to improve the product;
7. And finally, if you didn’t succeed first time, don’t get upset — you became more experienced.

Wrapping Up

It’s not always about the money; sometimes it’s about making wise decisions. Being in business for almost 10 years, Mr Ibrahim shared what he learned throughout the years of his journey as CEO: “We try to spend enough time to make them [clients] happy and satisfied with what we are doing. I can tell you that every client is a marketing agent for us. Those are the ones who bring the next customers”, tells Toimimou. Accordingly, the choice to stay competitive not in terms of the price, but in terms of providing quality services and products to customers is a key success factor, a seed that with time will definitely flourish into a blossoming business.