Mobile-first marketing, influencer marketing, and artificial intelligence are at the forefront of marketing trends in Africa. Marketing trends are changes in the marketing landscape that affect how businesses operate. They can include changes in technology, customer interaction, social media, and privacy.

Marketing trends are important because they help businesses stay relevant and competitive by reflecting changing consumer needs and behaviours, allowing them to identify new opportunities, anticipate market risks, and make informed decisions when creating marketing strategies.

Today, let’s take a good look at the marketing trends in Africa and why they are prevailing.

What to Know About Marketing Trends?

Africa has extensive natural resources and a young and increasingly educated workforce. The continent is also experiencing more stability in terms of governance and more prospects for economic growth than in years past. Marketing trends in Africa are usually a rob-off of global trends. However, implementation requires a lot of localisation.

Why are marketing trends important?

They provide consumer insights

Trends provide valuable insights into what consumers want and need, helping businesses align their marketing efforts accordingly.

Help businesses stay relevant

Keeping up with trends ensures a brand stays current and doesn’t fall behind competitors by offering products and services that align with evolving consumer expectations.

Help businesses identify opportunities

Trends can reveal new market opportunities for businesses to explore and capitalise on.

Help in effective campaign development

Understanding trends helps marketers create more targeted and impactful marketing campaigns.

Shine Light on Technological advancements

Many marketing trends are driven by new technologies, which can be leveraged to enhance customer experiences.

Top Three Marketing Trends in Africa

Here are the top three marketing trends in Africa and why they are prevailing.

1. Mobile-First Marketing

The first marketing trend prevailing in Africa is mobile-first marketing. Mobile-first marketing is a strategy that prioritises mobile users and designs content, communication, and strategies for mobile devices. It involves designing websites and online content with mobile users in mind rather than starting with a desktop version and adapting it for mobile.

Mobile devices are increasingly the primary way Africans access the internet. Therefore, mobile-first marketing can improve the user experience, which can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates. Major search engines prioritize the mobile versions of websites.

Why is Mobile-First Marketing Prevailing in Africa? 

Africa is a mobile-first economy. In Africa’s economic environment, the majority of online activity and transactions happen primarily through mobile devices. In fact, data from Africa Business Communities suggests that Africa has rapidly moved from a mobile-first to a “mobile-only market,” with users now spending on average 3 hours per day on their phone and 50% of all YouTube views in West Africa.

As a result, businesses and individuals prioritise designing and optimising their services and products for smartphones and tablets first rather than traditional desktop computers due to the high penetration of mobile internet usage in the region. 

More and more brands are building websites with mobile users in mind. The audience can browse using their smartphones, shopping on e-commerce platforms seamlessly.

2. Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is one of the top-rated marketing trends in Africa in 2025 that you can’t ignore. There are a lot of influencers on every social media platform, such as TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram with increasing brand recognition.

Take Nigeria, for example, data from Statista shows that the influencer advertising market in Nigeria is projected to reach a market volume of $5.31 million by 2025, with an expected annual growth rate of 7.65%. This indicates a significant rise in influencer marketing adoption within the African continent, particularly in Nigeria, where the market is rapidly gaining traction.

The same source forecasts that ad spending in the influencer advertising market in Africa will reach US$206.50m in 2025. The ad spending is anticipated to demonstrate an annual growth rate (CAGR 2025-2029) of 8.65%, leading to a projected market volume of US$287.80m by 2029.

In Africa, there are local influencers, micro-influencers, and social media stars. Local influencers are known in a specific geographical area and have social media followers between 1k and 10k.

A micro-influencer has a larger following than a local influencer. They have between 10k and 100k followers. Social media stars have large followings and have built their fame over the years.

However, it is always important for marketers to research influencers to find the one that meets their business needs. As a business owner, you should know the influencer’s audience reach, whether they are relevant to your business, and if the influencer resonates with your values.

Why is influencer marketing prevalent in Africa?

In this era, individuals prefer to buy from someone they trust or can trust their recommendations. Most social media users have influencers or pages they follow and trust. Influencers now help advertise, create brand awareness, reach wide audiences, and generate sales.

3. Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the system that enables computers to perform advanced tasks such as analysing, generating, and classifying content, which humans originally did.

In Africa, businesses are increasingly using AI to perform different tasks, such as generating business ideas and implementing them. Businesses are also using AI to generate graphics and content that can help promote their brands. We have seen an increase in the use of AI tools to schedule and record meetings, making it easier for individuals to access meeting minutes. 

Businesses across Africa are adopting these trends and more to make their work easier and faster. AI is being used in different sectors and industries across Africa, including finance, health, education, and beauty.

Why is artificial intelligence one of the marketing trends prevailing in Africa?

AI adoption is prevailing in Africa because of global technological development, resulting in an increase in the availability of AI tools. In an article we wrote last year, AI is one of the marketing predictions that’ll dominate the marketing world in 2025, and Africa is not an exception. From generative AI and automation platforms to personalisation tools, businesses across Africa are adopting AI trends to stand out and beat the competition. 

Conclusion 

While different marketing trends are making waves across Africa, these three are essential: mobile-first marketing, influencer marketing, and AI adoption. To thrive in Africa, you need to adopt these trends strategically to achieve your marketing goals.

Before you leave, you might want to check out these 2025 Marketing Predictions | EmergingTrends, New Technologies and Shifting Expectations.