Gender-Smart Market Mapping for Nano and Micro Enterprises: A Practical Guide
Read Time:
Highlights
- Segmentation and market sizing are essential for effectively allocating development efforts, mobilizing private sector investment, guiding interventions for the public good, and identifying policy gaps to drive impact in the micro and small enterprise (MSE) finance sector—especially for nano, micro, and women-led enterprises. This Technical Guide provides a gender-smart, data-driven approach to support sustainable market development.
- This guide is based on CGAP’s experience conducting market segmentation and sizing exercises for women-led nano and micro enterprises (WNMEs) in India, Kenya, and Uganda. Hence, it is a practical tool that lays out simple steps, practical guidance, and key considerations for its users.
- A clear understanding of the NME landscape—through market segmentation and sizing—is essential for designing targeted products, policies, and programs that effectively support NME enterprises. The guide walks users through these processes, including how to take a gender smart approach to ensure that the results of the exercise can help identify underserved markets, tailor products and services to diverse needs, and foster inclusivity, ultimately driving growth and improving social impact.
Executive Summary
Nano and micro enterprises (NMEs) are small businesses that play a crucial role in economic growth, job creation, and community resilience. Nano enterprises are often informal, home-based, or self-employment ventures operating with minimal resources. Despite their significance, NMEs face persistent barriers to financial services access, which limits their ability to grow and thrive. Finding a way to address these gaps has the potential to strengthen livelihoods and enhance the economic contributions of these NMEs. It can also unlock new market opportunities for financial services providers (FSPs).
A clear understanding of the NME landscape—through market segmentation and sizing—is essential for designing targeted products, policies, and programs that effectively support these enterprises. This Technical Guide provides practical guidance on these processes, including how to take a gender smart approach to ensure that the results of the exercise can help identify underserved markets, tailor products and services to diverse needs, and foster inclusivity, ultimately driving growth and improving social impact.
Conducting these exercises will enable researchers, consultants, donors, and FSPs to Nano and micro enterprises (NMEs) are small businesses that play a crucial role in economic growth, job creation, and community resilience. Nano enterprises are often informal, home-based, or self-employment ventures operating with minimal resources. Despite their significance, NMEs face persistent barriers to financial services access, which limits their ability to grow and thrive. Finding a way to address these gaps has the potential to strengthen livelihoods and enhance the economic contributions of these NMEs. It can also unlock new market opportunities for financial services providers (FSPs).
A clear understanding of the NME landscape—through market segmentation and sizing—is essential for designing targeted products, policies, and programs that effectively support these enterprises. This Technical Guide provides practical guidance on these processes, including how to take a gender smart approach to ensure that the results of the exercise can help identify underserved markets, tailor products and services to diverse needs, and foster inclusivity, ultimately driving growth and improving social impact...
In addition to focusing on NMEs as a whole, there is a critical need to prioritize women-led NMEs (WNMEs). Women entrepreneurs face distinct challenges, including more limited access to finance, networks, and business support. In addressing these barriers, FSPs and policymakers can foster a more inclusive and dynamic NME ecosystem, ensuring that WNMEs have the resources they need to succeed.
