A short-term installment loan offer run into Kenya via push notification traffic over three weeks — 640 approved applications at $4.20 CPA, $2,688 total spend.
The task
The client had tested the geo on their own and landed on an unstable result. Needed to launch a short-term installment loan offer into Kenya via push traffic and generate a flow of approved applications.
We worked the "Microfinance" vertical in the Kenya market. Payment model — CPA per approved application, main sources — push traffic.
How we did it
The plan was built so each step could be rolled back on its own.
- Bet on the M-Pesa mobile payment infrastructure — the entire path from application to payout ran inside a system users already trust for everyday transactions.
- Built push creatives around an exact loan amount and repayment term ("KES 15,000, 30-day repayment") instead of a generic "get a loan today" pitch.
- Restricted traffic to daytime hours (7am-9pm local time) after an early conversion test.
What went wrong
The first real setback hit during scaling. An early test showed nighttime clicks converted into approved applications at half the rate of daytime clicks — most likely low-intent night browsing rather than a genuine loan need.
Deliberately restricted delivery to daytime hours (7am-9pm local time), cutting out low-intent night traffic.
The result
By the end of the period, the setup hit its planned numbers. Over the three weeks: approved applications — 640, cost per approval — $4.20, total spend — $2,688.
Over three weeks the campaign delivered 640 approved applications at $4.20 CPA and $2,688 spend; the M-Pesa path cut final-step drop-off by roughly 40% versus a bank-transfer control.
What we took away
- Payout inside a mobile payment system users already trust noticeably reduces final-step funnel drop-off.
- An exact loan amount and repayment term in the creative outperform urgency language.
- A daytime targeting window confirmed by an early test saves budget on low-intent night traffic.
These numbers belong to one specific setup, geo, and buying period. Economics will differ on another offer or in another season — we always recalculate them before launch.