Africa’s market has changed, especially because of different global trends and innovative technologies. In Africa, the market changes and adapts to the new norms. In addition, consumer behaviour controls marketing trends in Africa. Consumer behaviour refers to how individuals make decisions when buying goods and services. This also affects the marketing tactics that work for businesses operating in this region. I will discuss Africa’s top three marketing trends in this article and why they prevail.

What are marketing trends?

Marketing trends are changes that occur or strategies organisations use in the marketing industry to keep up with the best practices or stay relevant. Marketing trends help organisations adapt to the needs of their customers. For instance, social media has evolved over the years from being a simple chatting platform to a global business arena. Businesses across the African continent are increasingly using various social media platforms to achieve their marketing objectives. 

Importance of marketing trends

Marketing trends are important in so many ways, such as:

1. Helping marketers stay relevant and competitive.
2. Helping marketers know customers’ needs.
3. Helps marketers to foresee risk in their business and the dynamics and strategies they can employ.
4. Helps marketers to make better decisions when creating strategies.
5. Allows businesses to identify opportunities that can help them.

Top Three Marketing Trends in Africa

 Here are the top three marketing trends in Africa you should adopt: Mobile-First Marketing, Influencer Marketing, and the Use of Artificial Intelligence.

1. Mobile-First Marketing

Mobile-first marketing prioritises mobile users and devices. This helps in creating a great user experience for mobile users. This seamless marketing trend considers easy navigation, speed, and user interaction. 

For instance, an app created for other devices but interfacing with mobile devices will look chaotic, take time to load, and will not be easy to navigate. This will make the mobile users leave the app. On the other hand, a mobile-first app or website will provide good navigation and user experience, which is one of the keys to keeping users on your platforms. 

Most African countries have mobile-first consumers; hence, mobile marketing has spread across the continent, and it is now a game-changer. Many marketers in this region have adopted this trend to connect with their audience as smartphone penetration and mobile commerce continue growing.

 As of January 2024, the majority of web traffic in major African markets was via mobile. Canalys’ latest research reveals that the African smartphone market surged significantly in Q1 2024, by 24% year on year, to reach 18.2 million units.

Why is Mobile-First Marketing Prevailing? 

Africa is a mobile-first economy. In Africa’s economic environment, the majority of online activity and transactions happen primarily through mobile devices. 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. Influencer marketing is using an individual with social media status to advertise businesses. This is one of the marketing trends in Africa that you can’t ignore. There are a lot of influencers on every social media platform, such as TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. These influencers partner with businesses within a timeframe or according to contracts. 

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 suits your business better. 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 Prevailing?

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.

For instance, Nigeria has different influencers on each social media platform, and they all have different niches, such as fashion, lifestyle, tech, career, etc. These influencers are trusted, and they have followers who use their recommendations.

3. Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the system that enables computers to perform advanced tasks such as analysing, generating, and classifying content, which were originally done by humans. In other words, AI helps to perform tasks that require human intelligence. 

In Africa, people now use AI to perform different tasks, such as generating business ideas and how to implement 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 there are different marketing trends making waves across Africa, these three are very 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.