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206 CHAPTER 9 ■ Creating a Commercial Market for Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Nets

TA R GE T A UD IEN C E B A R R IER S, M O TI V ATO R S ( B ENEF I T S) ,
A N D C O M P E TITI O N

Barriers for Consumers

Affordability
Were ITNs priced in a range that made sense to consumers (US$4.00 to US$6.00)?
Before NetMark started, there was anecdotal information that untreated nets were
sometimes selling for more than US$30 in some parts of the country. NetMark’s
pricing study that showed photos of potential products to consumers revealed that
people thought US$4.40 was a reasonable price for a “theoretical product” consist-
ing of a net with an insecticide treatment. Consumers were already spending a con-
siderable portion of their income on malaria prevention and treatment. They had
to be convinced that an ITN would prevent malaria and save them money.

Availability
Were ITNs available for sale in the markets where these consumers shopped?
ITNs were not available before NetMark started. In addition, market research
showed that most people purchased their nets in open markets—not in shops or
pharmacies. Therefore, NetMark undertook a study of the open market network
to see how it could be penetrated.

Safety
Was the insecticide safe, particularly for babies who might suck on the netting?
Research showed that public education using credible voices could overcome
this concern.

Heat
Did the net make it hotter and therefore more difficult to sleep? Some people felt
that sleeping under a net made them feel warmer. This was particularly seen as a
problem in the hot season when mosquitoes were in abundance. Most locally
stitched nets were made from textiles like curtain material and not from actual
mosquito netting. NetMark’s research showed that Nigerians were more likely to
cite heat as a barrier compared to consumers in the four other countries surveyed.

Modern Product
Weren’t nets an old way of dealing with mosquitoes while aerosols and coils are
the modern way? This feeling was much more prevalent in Nigeria than in other