Abstract: The insurance penetration rate in Kenya is low. Insurance has traditionally been distributed through insurance brokers and agents. The objective of the study was to characterize the demographic attributes of cash based retailers as an alternative distribution channel for micro-insurance in Kenya. A descriptive survey research design was used with a target population of 348,700 agency banking and mobile money agents in Kenya. A sample of 192 respondents was extracted with a response rate of 95 percent. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data, having structured and unstructured questions. Research assistants were used to collect data which was subsequently checked, cleaned, coded and analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics including: frequencies, cross tabulations, percentages, means and standard deviations. The results were presented using tables, bar charts and pie charts. The findings indicated that the majority of retailers had a tertiary level of education with most involved in mobile money business. They served customers with low average incomes with small amounts transacted. There were no insurance organizations in their vicinity. A majority of retailers had a negative perception towards insurance largely influenced by what they heard from other people. The preference of a particular insurance company was largely determined by faster claims settlement. Life assurance was considered the easiest to sell with preference to the use of the mobile phone in transacting insurance. This was further supported with the endorsement of mobile money as the preferred mode of claims settlement.

Keywords: Cash Based Retailers, Alternative Distribution Channels, Micro-insurance.

Title: CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC ATTRIBUTES OF CASH BASED RETAILERS AS AN ALTERNATIVE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL FOR MICRO-INSURANCE IN KENYA

Author: JUSTUS TARI

International Journal of Novel Research in Marketing Management and Economics

ISSN 2394-7322

Vol. 13, Issue 3, September 2026 - December 2026

Page No: 33-42

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 10-September-2026

Abstract: Process innovations have continued to be the driving force of organizational performance of companies operating globally and locally. However, most of the financial technology companies operating in Kenya have continued to record deteriorating performance due to issues of process innovations. Despite the acknowledged fact that process innovations enhance performance of firms, still financial technology companies operating in developing countries and more especially in Kenya are underperforming. The study adopted descriptive research design to determine the problem under investigation. Target population of this study was the financial technology companies in Kenya. Because the population is small, a census was conducted in this study. A questionnaire was used in the collection of primary data. Validity of the research instrument was determined by using industry experts like lecturers and experienced employees working with financial institutions while reliability of the research instrument was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha that stipulates that items of the instrument are deemed to be reliable if they meet the threshold or reliability coefficients of more than 0.7. The Statistical Package of Social Sciences (version 21) was used to process and analyze the data. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with the help of statistical software known as Statistical Package of Social Sciences (version 21). Descriptive statistics such as frequency distributions, percentages, means, modes and standard deviations and frequency tables were used to summarize and relate variables which were attained from the administered questionnaires. Regression analysis was used to establish the effect between variables of the study. The results were presented in tables. The study found that process innovation had a positive and significant effect on the performance of financial technology companies in Kenya. An improvement in process innovation led to the performance of financial technology companies in terms of increased customer satisfaction, increased market share and increased staff satisfaction. It is therefore important for the financial technology companies to continue coming up with process innovations that will then be able to drive their competitive performance.

Keywords: Financial Technology, Process Innovation, Organizational Performance.

Title: PROCESS INNOVATIONS AND THE PERFORMANCE OF FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES IN KENYA

Author: Isaac Nyantika Nyamao, Dr. Justus Tari

International Journal of Novel Research in Marketing Management and Economics

ISSN 2394-7322

Vol. 13, Issue 3, September 2026 - December 2026

Page No: 25-32

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 09-September-2026

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a defining infrastructure of contemporary e-commerce, reshaping how platforms personalize offers, converse with shoppers, and predict demand. Research linking AI-enabled personalization, chatbot interactivity, and recommendation accuracy to brand trust and loyalty remains concentrated in single- or two-country studies, leaving a gap in markets that differ in digital maturity and institutional stability. This paper develops a conceptual framework examining how AI shapes brand trust and loyalty across three e-commerce environments: Russia (digitally mature, AI-intensive), Bangladesh (fast-growing, young), and Afghanistan (fragile, conflict-affected, nascent digital commerce). Drawing on Commitment-Trust Theory, the Technology Acceptance Model, Expectation-Confirmation Theory, Mayer et al.'s model of organizational trust, and Hofstede's cultural-dimensions framework, the study synthesizes DOI-indexed literature into a moderated model in which AI capability shapes brand trust, which drives loyalty, with national culture, market-development stage, and (newly introduced) institutional and infrastructural fragility as boundary conditions. Evidence indicates Russian trust accrues with digital experience, education, and gender; Bangladeshi trust is shaped by perceived risk, service quality, and promotional cues; and Afghan trust, governed by standard technology-acceptance constructs, is further constrained by conflict-linked infrastructure disruption, thin legal protections, and post-2021 restrictions on women's offline economic participation that have made online channels a coping mechanism. The paper concludes with revised propositions, a three-country survey methodology, and managerial and policy implications for platforms and development actors.

Keywords: Afghanistan; artificial intelligence; Bangladesh; brand trust; comparative study; consumer loyalty; cultural dimensions; e-commerce; fragile markets; Russia.

Title: Algorithmic Trust Formation in E-Commerce: A Comparative Conceptual Framework of AI, Brand Trust, and Consumer Loyalty in Russia, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan

Author: Md Mehedi Hasan, Tareq Mahmud, Md Asif Ullah, Wahdat Ullah Mamond

International Journal of Novel Research in Marketing Management and Economics

ISSN 2394-7322

Vol. 13, Issue 3, September 2026 - December 2026

Page No: 9-24

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 04-September-2026

Abstract: The study examines strategic agility and resilience of manufacturing organisations in Benin City. It specifically examines how strategic sensitivity, resource fluidity, and leadership unity relates to resilience of manufacturing organisations. The study employed a correlational survey research design. The population of the study comprised the 55 managers of the 55 registered manufacturing organisations in Benin City, Edo State. The entire population of the study was used. Thus, no sampling technique was adopted in the study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire designed by the researchers. Data was collected through physical contact with the respondents. Data collected was analysed with Mean (x̄), Standard Deviation (SD), and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient (r). Mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the research questions and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient was used to test the hypotheses. Analysis of the data collected revealed that strategic sensitivity, resource fluidity and leadership unity have very strong positive relationship with resilience of manufacturing organizations. Based on the findings, it was recommended that: management should invest in digital forecasting tools, regular macroeconomic trend analysis, and local competitor tracking to spot warning signs; industrial leaders must dismantle rigid operational structures by cross-training factory workers and setting up flexible credit lines or liquid cash reserves to absorb sudden supply chain shocks; and executive teams should carry out regular joint strategic reviews to ensure top management, financial directors, and floor supervisors are completely aligned to ensure industrial harmony.

Keywords: Strategic Agility, Organizational Resilience, Strategic Sensitivity, Resource Fluidity, and Leadership Unity.

Title: ASSESSMENT OF STRATEGIC AGILITY AND RESILIENCE OF MANUFACTURING ORGANISATIONS IN BENIN CITY

Author: JOSEPH ODIA, Chinenye Ehikem Obialor, Cosmos Orobosa Ojiemhonuyi

International Journal of Novel Research in Marketing Management and Economics

ISSN 2394-7322

Vol. 13, Issue 3, September 2026 - December 2026

Page No: 1-8

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 02-September-2026