Nigerians buy for subconscious reasons. Sometimes, you wonder why people choose one product over another, even when they are alike in design and sometimes in value. Pondering over this for a long time has revealed consumer behaviour in the food and beverage industry.

Here’s a direct breakdown of how today’s Nigerian consumers eat, scroll, spend, and what your brand should do about it.

1. The “Soft  and Big Life” Mentality Is Driving Premium Choices

We can’t assume it is not there. The subtle whisper in the mind of every Nigerian tells us what is believed to be premium and what is not. Not limiting this to Nigerians, humans are ultimately moved by packaging. A good package equals premium, a bad package equals cheap. 

People don’t just buy products; they buy what they believe the product represents. Packaging often shapes that belief before they even experience the product itself.

• A 2022 Ipsos study found that 72% of consumers say packaging design influences their purchasing decisions.

• According to Psychology Today, consumers use “visual heuristics” (shortcuts) to judge quality, and packaging is huge.

• A Nielsen report found that 64% of consumers tried a new product simply because its packaging caught their eye.
• A Harvard Business School case on the Nigerian FMCG market highlighted how perceived packaging quality significantly influenced what consumers considered “premium”, especially in congested markets like Nigeria.

It’s why a ₦5,500 meal in a sleek black box with gold text looks more expensive than the same meal in a clear plastic takeaway pack. One gets posted on Instagram, and the other gets eaten in silence.

Whether it’s drinks, food packs, or even menu design on mobile apps, people associate good design with trust, quality, and the feeling that “this brand knows what it’s doing.”

So what should you implement in 2025 and beyond? Invest in visual storytelling. Make your packaging and digital presence scream “bougie but relatable.”

2. Price Sensitivity vs. Value Sensitivity:

Here is something to ponder: 52% of lower-middle-income Nigerians will switch brands for just a ₦200 difference, unless they perceive “value” beyond price. People will always compare the price to the value they are getting. 

You must win by properly communicating your value with the right strategy and story. 

Need an agency that understands how to tell digital stories and increase ROI? Contact Intense Digital.

3. The Influence of Reviews, Not Just Influencers

74% of online F&B customers in Nigeria say they check comments or reviews before buying for the first time. People trust people, not your caption, not even your influencer (sorry). If the comments say, “I got food poisoning,” you will need excellent PR to save yourself.

Here is what you can do: Make reviews part of your content strategy. Repost them, respond to them, incentivize good ones. And never, ever delete the bad ones without learning something.

4. Convenience Is the New Currency

Everyone who can afford convenience will definitely go for it. That is why people subscribe to Spotify Premium to avoid those inconvenient ads, or why you choose a vendor that delivers fast over another. 

If you can optimise your food and beverage products to be conveniently seen and distributed with the required speed, then you have a share of the market valuation.

5. Cultural Nuance Still Wins the Plate

Regionally localised campaigns (e.g., using pidgin in Warri or Hausa proverbs in Kano) perform 2.4x better in conversion rates. You can’t copy-paste a campaign from Lagos and expect it to work in Port Harcourt.