Kenya EVA Footwear Market Researcher needed

Title

Kenya Market Researcher – EVA Footwear (Retailers, Importers & Wholesalers)

Job Description

We are an India-based company planning to enter the Kenyan market with EVA non-leather footwear, including:

EVA Flip-Flops
EVA Sliders
EVA Sandals
EVA Slippers
Clogs
Bathroom Slippers
Kids' EVA footwear
Fashion EVA footwear

We are looking for an experienced Kenya-based market researcher / field researcher who can conduct actual on-ground market research and speak directly with retailers, importers, wholesalers and distributors of footwear.

This is not a desk-research-only project.

Our objective is to understand the Kenyan EVA footwear market, identify gaps and opportunities, understand why Chinese suppliers dominate the market, and determine how an Indian supplier could successfully enter and compete.

What we need you to research
1. Retailer Research — Highest Priority

Visit footwear retailers and relevant stores in Kenya and conduct approximately 25–30 retailer interviews.

We need practical information about:

Which EVA footwear categories sell every week without promotion
Which products sell slowly and why
Highest-selling gender and age groups
Highest-demand EVA footwear categories
Branded vs unbranded preferences
Which brands sell fastest
Chinese vs local vs Indian products
Fastest-selling colours
Fastest-selling sizes
Most successful price ranges
Customer buying factors such as price, comfort, design, colour, durability, weight and fashion
Reasons customers reject products
Common complaints about existing EVA footwear
Products customers ask for that retailers currently cannot supply
What product features would make retailers recommend an Indian supplier
What would convince them to replace a Chinese supplier
How much additional price customers may accept for better quality

The research questionnaire will be provided.

2. Importer Research

Identify and interview approximately 10–15 Kenyan importers involved in footwear/EVA footwear.

We want to understand:

Why they currently source from China
Their main supplier-selection criteria
Price
Quality
MOQ
Designs
Delivery time
Payment terms
Communication
Reliability
Packaging
Branding
Existing supplier relationships
Problems they experience with Chinese suppliers
Biggest weaknesses of Chinese suppliers
What would make them switch suppliers
What an Indian supplier would need to offer if it cannot compete purely on price
Whether they have previously imported from India
Their experience with Indian suppliers
Reasons they do not currently source more from India
3. Wholesaler / Distributor Research

Conduct approximately 8–10 interviews with wholesalers/distributors involved in footwear.

Understand:

Product demand
Fast-moving categories
Price levels
Buyer preferences
Current suppliers
Chinese competition
Distribution channels
Product gaps
Potential opportunities for a new Indian supplier
4. Market Gap & Opportunity

Based on your field research, identify:

Top EVA footwear categories with potential in Kenya
Underserved product categories
Products that Chinese suppliers are not addressing well
Unmet retailer/customer requirements
Price/quality gaps
Design gaps
Packaging/branding opportunities
Opportunities for Indian suppliers
Biggest barriers for an Indian supplier entering Kenya

We particularly want practical opportunities supported by conversations with actual market participants, rather than generic statements.

5. Competitor Research

Study the current EVA footwear available in Kenya.

Where possible, record:

Brand
Country of origin
Product type
Material
Design
Sizes
Colours
Retail price
Wholesale price where available
Packaging
Quality observations
Supplier/importer information where available

We are particularly interested in understanding the Chinese supplier advantage and where an Indian supplier could differentiate.

Evidence Required

Where possible, provide:

Photographs of footwear shelves/displays
Product photographs
Price tags
Brands
Packaging
Country-of-origin labels
Wholesale/retail stores
Warehouses where access is permitted
Product catalogues/brochures
Price lists
Business cards/contact details
Contact details of interested importers/distributors
Examples of poor-quality products or recurring quality problems

Photos should be genuine photographs taken during the research and not downloaded from the internet.

Please respect store/business permissions and applicable privacy requirements when taking photographs or collecting contact information.

Final Deliverables

At the end of the project, provide a structured report containing:

Top 10 reasons Chinese suppliers dominate the Kenyan EVA footwear market
Top 10 reasons Kenyan buyers do not currently source more EVA footwear from India
Top 10 opportunities for a new Indian EVA footwear supplier
Top 10 actions required to compete successfully against Chinese suppliers
Fast-moving EVA footwear categories
Slow-moving categories
Recommended product categories for an Indian exporter
Recommended price segments
Preferred colours and sizes
Customer buying factors
Common customer complaints
Retailer feedback
Importer feedback
Wholesaler/distributor feedback
Competitor observations
Recommended market-entry strategy
List of qualified Kenyan buyers interested in evaluating Indian EVA footwear suppliers
Buyer Leads

A particularly important part of this assignment is identifying genuine potential buyers.

For interested importers, wholesalers or distributors, provide where available:

Company name
Contact person's name
Position
Business location
Phone/WhatsApp
Email
Website/social media
Type of business
Current footwear products
Current sourcing country
Approximate interest in Indian EVA footwear
Products they are interested in
Any indication of potential order/volume
Notes from the conversation

Please clearly distinguish between:

A. Businesses that were actually contacted

and

B. Businesses that were merely found online.

We are primarily interested in qualified and contacted buyers, not a scraped directory of companies.

Ideal Researcher

The ideal freelancer should:

Be physically located in Kenya
Have experience conducting B2B field research
Have access to footwear retailers, wholesalers or importers
Understand the Kenyan footwear market
Be comfortable conducting face-to-face interviews
Have strong communication skills
Be able to document findings accurately
Be comfortable taking photographs and collecting market evidence
Be able to identify genuine business contacts
Have experience in market research, sourcing, footwear, FMCG, retail or import/export research

Experience with footwear, Chinese suppliers, Indian suppliers or African import markets is a strong advantage.

Important

This assignment is not simply an internet research project.

We are looking for real market intelligence from people actually selling, importing and distributing footwear in Kenya.

The quality of the project will be judged primarily on:

quality of interviews + quality of market evidence + accuracy of findings + actionable buyer leads.

Questions for applicants

Please answer these questions when applying:

Are you currently based in Kenya? If yes, which city/region?
Have you previously conducted physical/field market research in Kenya? Please provide an example.
Do you have access to footwear retailers, wholesalers, importers or distributors?
How many retailer interviews can you realistically complete?
How many footwear importers/wholesalers can you realistically reach?
Have you previously researched Chinese products/suppliers in Kenya?
Can you conduct face-to-face interviews rather than relying only on online research?
Can you provide genuine photographs and price observations from the market?
Have you worked on footwear or consumer-product market research before?
Please provide an example of a previous field-research project you completed.