Nairobi, May 26 -- Every morning, millions of Kenyans begin their day at a duka, a roadside kiosk, or a market stall. They buy small purchases repeatedly, countless times.

These transactions may seem insignificant in isolation but, collectively, they form the backbone of Kenya's consumer economy. And yet, they remain consistently undervalued in how companies design their growth strategies.

It is in the kiosk that opens before sunrise, run by a trader who knows every customer by name. It is in the market stall that serves a stream of loyal, repeat buyers. It is in informal, hyper-local networks that goods move quickly, flexibly, and at scale. These are not peripheral channels. They are the centre of Kenyan retail.

Data confirms this. Th...