01. The Challenge
Strong Interest, Stalling Adoption
Our client, a growth-stage fintech, had a payments product with strong stated interest but stalling adoption beyond metros. Exit surveys gave tidy, rational reasons, but the team suspected the real frictions were behavioural and unspoken, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities where the growth had to come from.
People rarely tell you the real reason they didn't adopt. You have to watch the journey, not just ask about it.
They needed research that went beyond self-reported reasons to observe the real frictions in the adoption journey, and to prioritise the fixes that would actually unlock take-up.
02. Our Approach
Watching the Journey, Not Just Asking About It
Zapulse ran a 5-week mixed-method programme combining a large user survey with merchant interviews and on-the-ground observation across city tiers.
User & Merchant Survey
Surveyed 1,500 users and 200 merchants across three city tiers on the adoption journey, trust and friction points.
Journey Interviews & Observation
Interviewed and observed real users and merchants completing the journey to surface unspoken, behavioural friction.
Friction Prioritisation
Ranked adoption frictions by prevalence and drop-off impact, isolating the few that actually stall take-up.
03. Research Methodology
Research Methods Deployed
Quantitative Survey
A structured instrument fielded to 1,500 users and 200 merchants across Tier 1–3 cities covering the adoption journey and friction.
Contextual Interviews
In-depth interviews with users and merchants on real motivations, trust and barriers to adoption.
Behavioural Observation
Observed real users and merchants completing onboarding to capture the friction they don't self-report.
Expert Validation
Findings pressure-tested with fintech and behavioural specialists before delivery.
04. Key Findings
What Actually Stops Adoption
01
Stated Reasons Masked the Real Ones
The rational reasons users gave in exit surveys differed sharply from the behavioural frictions observed in the journey, a gap that would have misdirected the fixes.
"
Zapulse found the friction our exit surveys never could. Fixing one onboarding step did more for adoption than a quarter of marketing.
Head of Growth
02
Trust Broke at One Step
A single onboarding step drove most of the Tier 2–3 drop-off, a friction invisible in aggregate survey data but obvious in observation.
03
Merchant Enablement Was the Multiplier
Adoption tracked merchant confidence far more than user marketing; enabling merchants unlocked user take-up in a way ad spend did not.
05. The Results
From Guesswork to a Prioritised Adoption Fix-List
A Prioritised Friction Map
Delivered a ranked map of adoption frictions by drop-off impact, giving the team a clear, evidence-based fix-list.
Effort Refocused on the Real Blocker
Redirected product effort to the one onboarding step and merchant enablement, rather than broad-based marketing.
A Repeatable Journey Framework
Delivered a journey-research framework the fintech can re-run as it expands into new city tiers and segments.
06. Client Perspective
In Their Own Words
"
Zapulse showed us the real reasons adoption was stalling, not the ones our surveys reported. That insight reshaped our roadmap and unlocked growth we'd been chasing for months.
Head of Growth
Growth-Stage · India (Tier 1–3)
