Stefano Niavas
Managing Director & Partner
Johannesburg
Stefano Niavas came to The Boston Consulting Group in 2001 and was based first in the firm’s Paris office and then in its New York office. He is also a member of the firm’s Consumer, Global Advantage and Marketing, Sales & Pricing practices. At BCG, Stefano has worked primarily in consumer goods, focusing on retail, packaged goods, media, and airlines in Western Europe, North America, and Africa.
Stefano is an expert in the fields of African consumer insights and globalization. He is a coauthor of the highly respected BCG report, “Winning in Africa.” He leads BCG's Africa Center for Customer Insight, which develops proprietary insights, data, and methodologies for understanding consumers in the "many Africas."
His projects have included, among many others, developing the Africa strategy for a global food-and-snack player, building the entry strategy in Egypt for the packaged-food sector of a major fast-moving consumer-goods player, and revising a strategy to regain share in a major market while establishing deep-market and consumer understanding for a cosmetics company.
Stefano also has led a worldwide media group through the assessment of the impact key trends have on the music industry.
Several trends we identified a month ago have endured, while important and potentially lasting shifts in consumer thinking and behavior are also becoming apparent.
Western-style retailing is spreading fast in South Africa, but small, independently owned shops still offer essential—and underappreciated—routes to market.
It has been a tough few years in many parts of the continent. That hasn’t made a dent in Africans’ desire to buy new things.
Between now and 2022, digitally influenced purchases will soar. Here’s what that means for consumer behavior, according to interviews in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Despite multiple barriers, economic integration in Africa is not only taking place, but also gathering speed. The primary drivers of this process are African businesses.
Many of Africa’s 54 individual markets are growing fast. To serve them, multinationals need to plan carefully and tailor execution to distinct and complex circumstances.
A poll of more than 11,000 consumers in 11 African countries reveals their attitudes; their budgeting and spending behaviors; and how their income levels affect what they buy.
A battle for leadership has erupted as local companies and multinationals vie for market share. In their daily skirmishes, both sides are learning.
BCG polled 10,000 African consumers about their shopping behaviors, purchase intentions, and planned spending for more than 20 different product categories, from autos to snack foods.
Africa’s growth is attracting attention, but companies must change how they do business on the continent if they want to succeed there.
