Focusing on First Value Drives Sustainable Growth

Semiloore Akoni, a growth and product marketing leader in Africa’s tech space, emphasizes that retention begins long before users sign up. He argues that acquisition strategies often fail because they focus on attracting users with incentives rather than solving real problems.

“Most marketers treat retention as something to fix later,” Akoni explains. “But if someone joins for a discount or giveaway, the moment that incentive disappears, they leave.” Instead, he advocates for acquiring customers who immediately see value in your product—those who return naturally because it addresses a genuine need.

Understanding Local Markets

Akoni extends this philosophy to localization: “Many companies translate words but not behavior. They assume users across markets think the same way or trust the same systems—that’s incorrect.” He stresses that true growth comes from understanding how people actually behave, spend, and decide in each specific market.

Small Changes, Big Impact

In his previous role, Akoni made a simple but transformative change: shifting focus from sign-ups to “time-to-value”—how long it took new users to complete their first transaction. By streamlining the onboarding process and removing any friction that didn’t directly contribute to this key action, he saw product activation climb from 1.6% to 3.4% in just three months, with retention improving organically as a result.

While some growth bets inevitably fail—Akoni cites an attempt to build an offline presence for a savings platform that proved financially unsustainable—he maintains that the learning experience was valuable and would make the same strategic bet again if circumstances were different.