Ethiopia: Discount Dilemma
ANALYSIS On the morning of Wednesday, September 4, 2013, Muluneh Jira, 39, was busy arranging his rented three-by-three boutique, around Hayahulet Mazoria, a few metres away from theGolagulTower. Muluneh came to this area from Merkato, a year ago, to operate as a clothes wholesaler. Since he moved, his business has been going great. However, due to the road and railway construction that started four months ago, his customer base is beginning to drain. "Before the construction started, on average 10 customers bought something from my boutique a day," Muluneh told Fortune, while observing the street thoughtfully. "This is not the situation anymore." Alarmed by the decline of his business and in order to grab the marketing opportunity created by the coming holyday, Muluneh devised a method to attract more customers. "A week ago, I introduced a 20-30pc sales discount on all the items found in my boutique", said Muluneh. "The sale will last un