8 Digital Marketing Trends That Will Shape Kenyan Business in 2026

Kenya’s digital economy is no longer “emerging.” It has arrived, and it’s evolving fast – faster than anything we’ve witnessed in the past. 

Consider these realities of the current market:

• As of January 2026, Kenya has over 27 million active internet users, with mobile internet accounting for more than 93% of all online access. 
• In the last 24 months, mobile data costs in Kenya have dropped by nearly 18%
• As of early 2025, Kenyans now lead the world in daily social media usage, spending an average of 4 hours and 19 minutes on platforms every single day.
• With internet penetration now hitting 48%, adoption of AI-powered tools has exploded: by late 2025, more than 60% of digitally active Kenyans reported using AI assistants for search, recommendations, or decision-making at least once a week.

For years, the formula was predictable: run Facebook ads, post on Instagram, maybe invest in a website if budget allowed, and hope for the best.

But what worked even three years ago is starting to feel stale. Audiences are harder to impress, attention is fragmented, and visibility alone no longer guarantees trust or sales.

In 2026, the biggest wins won’t come from doing “more marketing,” but from changing how businesses show up online.

At our digital marketing agency, keeping abreast of all these changes is key for us to remain compelling and provide advisory to our clients that maintains their competitive edge. 

The overarching shift we’ve identified in companies that are winning on digital is that they are more invested in being useful and integrated into their customers’ daily lives over simply being visible.

The businesses winning today aren’t necessarily the loudest. They’re the clearest. The most helpful. The ones that show up naturally where decisions are actually being made: on WhatsApp, inside AI answers, through short videos, and in local language that feels familiar.

Let’s start with the shifts already underway.

1. The Rise of Niche Online Stores

For years, selling online in Kenya generally followed a simple formula: list your products on big marketplaces and hope for volume. Classified platforms and general marketplaces like Jiji and Jumia did the heavy lifting: driving traffic, building trust, and (for some) collecting payments – while businesses paid commissions and competed on price.

It worked… until it didn’t.

While these platforms provided a quick start, smart business owners started noticing the drawbacks:

Margins shrank. Visibility dropped unless you paid more. And most importantly, individual sellers owned none of the customer data.

What’s changing in 2026?

More Kenyan businesses are quietly moving away from “everyone’s marketplace” and launching their own small, focused online stores.

Smart companies are realizing that owning their own website, whether it’s a simple WooCommerce setup or a Shopify store, is the only way to truly own their future.

Not massive Amazon-style sites. Simple, niche websites selling:

• One category of products
• To one clear type of customer
• With one clear problem being solved

This applies whether you sell fashion, electronics, spare parts, professional services, or even something unglamorous but essential like packaging or moving supplies.

Owning your store means not only owning all your profits but your customers as well, their buying patterns, and how you follow up with them.

How you can take advantage

You don’t need a big tech team or a large budget.

1. Start with one niche offering you already understand well.
2. Build a simple website where customers can browse, ask questions, and place orders. Use it as your home base, even if you still sell elsewhere.
3. Use your website data to spot trends. If you notice people searching for a specific item on your site that you don’t stock yet, that is your next big opportunity.
4. Follow up with prospects who start purchases but don’t complete them, and run promotional campaigns to past customers in order to unlock more value.

Think of it like owning land instead of renting space in a busy market. It may take longer to build traffic, but the long-term value is far higher.

2. Increased Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) Adoption

Traditionally, businesses focused on appearing high on Google search results. The goal was simple: get people to click your website.

That mindset assumes people are still searching the same way.

They aren’t.

What’s changing in 2026?

People are moving away from classic search engines and toward AI assistants and conversational tools. Today, many searches end without a single click because the AI provides the answer directly in the interface. 

The science of getting cited by AI models is called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).

More people now ask questions directly to AI tools and voice assistants instead of typing into search engines. To complicate things further, answer engines like ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini allow for more nuanced questions that traditional Google Search simply can’t hack.

Search behaviour has thus changed.

Users are asking things like:

• “What’s the best laptop for remote work in Kenya?”
• “Which is the best bank for a university student with little income to open in Kenya?”
• “I’m learning how to play the guitar. I’d like advice on an affordable acoustic model that I can carry around without difficulty. What do you recommend I buy and where can I get it in Nairobi?”

Often, they get an answer instantly without clicking any website.

Brands that get mentioned or quoted in these answers gain trust and visibility, even if the user never visits their site.

This shift is what’s driving increased adoption of AEO: content designed to answer questions clearly, not just rank for keywords.

How you can take advantage

If a potential client asks an AI assistant for a recommendation, you want your brand to be the one the AI cites as the authority.

You don’t need to understand the technical side.

Some traditional SEO methodologies come into play here, but they need some tweaking to fit good AEO criteria.

Focus on this:

1. Publish content on your website that answers specific questions directly. Instead of a vague page about “Steel Fabrication,” create a section that answers “What are the best steel grades for warehouse construction in Nairobi?”
2. Write content the way people actually speak and ask questions
3. Focus on being a “cited authority.” The more clear, factual, helpful and localized information you provide, the more likely AI models are to recommend you.
4. Don’t panic if your website clicks go down slightly; if your brand is being mentioned as the top answer by an AI, your trust and reputation are actually growing.

If your website explains things better than competitors, AI tools are more likely to pick up your content when generating answers.

In simple terms: stop trying to sound impressive. Start trying to be useful.

3. Is Traditional SEO Becoming More Competitive or More Important?

For a long time, many Kenyan businesses ignored search visibility entirely. Social media felt easier and faster.

SEO was seen as technical, slow, or optional.

But this is changing in 2026.

Despite all the panic and headlines that SEO is dead – and AI killed it, the data tells a different tale.

Our internal data informs us that searches for SEO experts in Nairobi/Kenya are at an all-time high. 

Survey: “How Generative AI Is Changing How Kenyan Businesses Think About Digital Discovery”

Study period: September – November 2025

Location: Kenya (primarily Nairobi)

To understand how the growing use of generative AI tools such as AI search assistants and chat-based engines is influencing how businesses think about online visibility and discovery, we ran a 3-month study in late 2025 targeting business decisionmakers in leadership and marketing.

Snapshot of Respondents

• Total respondents: 412
• Roles:
  • Business owners & founders – 59%
  • Marketing leads & managers – 34%
  • Other decision-makers – 7%
• Business size:
  • Small businesses (1–10 staff) – 44%
  • Mid-sized (11–50 staff) – 37%
  • Large organisations (50+) – 19%

Industries represented included professional services, retail, logistics, real estate, education, and B2B services.

Key Finding: Discovery Is Replacing Traffic as the Priority

Respondents showed a clear shift away from focusing purely on website visits.

• 68% said they now care more about how their brand is described or referenced online than raw traffic
• 61% said AI-generated answers made them rethink how customers find businesses
• 54% said they had started paying attention to where AI tools get their information

This indicates growing awareness that visibility now happens before a website click (and sometimes without one).

Growing Fascination With How Discovery Works

When asked whether generative AI had increased their interest in understanding digital discovery:

• 72% said yes, significantly
• 19% said yes, at a basic level
• 6% said no
• 3% were unsure

Notably, this curiosity was strong even among non-marketers:

• 67% of business owners and operators reported increased interest
• Many asked why certain brands are mentioned by AI tools while others are ignored

Observable Behaviour Changes

The mindset shift translated into action:

• 49% mentioned plans to review or rewrite website content to be clearer and more explanatory
• 43% began creating question-based or FAQ-style content
• 37% discussed SEO and online visibility internally more often
• 29% started actively looking for help or resources to understand digital discovery

Search interest in SEO-related services increased, even among businesses with no prior SEO investment.

Ironically, as AI tools grow, businesses are becoming more interested in how people discover them online. When discovery becomes automated, the foundations matter more.

The result:

• More businesses competing for the same search space
• Higher standards for content quality
• Less tolerance for shallow or copied content

SEO isn’t dying. It’s becoming more competitive and more disciplined.

How you can take advantage of this change

Instead of chasing tricks or shortcuts:

• Focus on explaining your services clearly
• Make sure your website answers basic customer concerns
• Build credibility by being consistent and accurate

If your online presence reflects real expertise and clarity, you’re already ahead of most competitors – even in a crowded space.

Are you keen to learn the science behind SEO and how to utilize it in your business? Learn more in the book “SEO Demystified” – now available at a 80% discount for a limited period only.

4. Social + Shoppable Commerce

Social media in Kenya has mostly been about visibility. You post. People like or comment. Interested customers are told to “DM for price” or sent a phone number.

The actual buying still happens somewhere else — usually on WhatsApp, a phone call, or in person.

How is this changing in 2026?

Social platforms are steadily removing steps between interest and purchase. Thanks primarily to platforms like TikTok Shop, Instagram Shopping, and Facebook Product Catalogues.

People can now tap on a product inside a post or video, see the price instantly, and click a buy or enquire button without leaving the app

This matters because attention spans are short. Every extra step loses potential customers.

In 2026, social media isn’t just where people discover brands but where they also decide.

For you to take advantage of this opportunity, the path is clear:

1. Create your product catalogues on Meta and/or TikTok Shop. Ensure the prices and descriptions are accurate.
2. Use direct links that lead straight to ordering or checkout.
3. Treat your social pages like a catalogue, not a billboard.

5. Conversational Commerce on WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a big deal – so much so, it deserves a dedicated section in this article.

In the past, besides chatting with friends, WhatsApp was a place to occasionally send a price list to a customer or respond to enquiries. The actual “selling” usually happened elsewhere, like on a phone call or in person.

However, this is quite not the case anymore. 

WhatsApp is no longer just a messaging app. For many Kenyan customers, it’s the entire buying journey:

• First question
• Follow-up details
• Payment confirmation
• Delivery coordination
• Repeat purchases

Think about it: in the last 18 months, have you initiated a purchase based on a WhatsApp conversation without meeting or even talking to the seller?

If your answer is “yes,” then you need to consider how you can position your business to exploit opportunities as they present themselves via WhatsApp

So how do you take advantage of commerce on WhatsApp?

Start with the fundamentals:

1. Creating standard replies for common questions
2. Organising contacts and past customers
3. Using WhatsApp as your main follow-up tool, not just enquiry handling

The secret to WhatsApp commerce success is speed, clarity, and consistency. Customers reward businesses that respond quickly and sound organised.

As your volume grows, you can take advantage of Whatsapp’s agentic AI capabilities:

• Integrate the WhatsApp Cloud API into your business to handle larger volumes of messages professionally.
• Use AI workflows to guide a customer through a sale while you sleep. Utilize no-code and low-code tools like Make.com, N8N and Replit for this purpose.
• Link WhatsApp to a CRM system like Zoho CRM. Use it to keep track of past customers and send them personalized offers based on their history.

6. “Hyper-Local” & Vernacular Content

Most corporate communication in Kenya has traditionally been formal, polished, and strictly in English. 

While it sounds professional, it often feels distant and “corporate,” creating a barrier between the brand and the everyday consumer.

The 2026 Shift

As the digital space in Nairobi becomes crowded, the “blue ocean” opportunity lies in regional and local engagement. Brands are finding massive success by sounding like a neighbor rather than a corporation. Using Sheng or localized nuances makes a brand feel relatable and trustworthy.

Content that uses everyday language, local references, sheng or casual phrasing where appropriate feels human. It feels nearby. It feels trustworthy.

Even KRA gets it:

Happy New Year!
Resolution yako ni gani hapa, ama bado hatujakunasa?
We all start the year with plans. Some small. Some bold. Some that scare us kidogo. Whatever you’re working towards this year, keep showing up. One step at a time.
2026 has space for growth and we are all headed… pic.twitter.com/VR9A88zKSm

— KRA Care (@KRACare) December 31, 2025

Following the theme of vernacularization, some of the biggest growth opportunities are also moving beyond Nairobi into regional towns and communities where people want to see themselves reflected in the brands they support.

How to utilize this opportunity

This doesn’t mean forcing slang or being fake.

Instead:

• Write the way your customers speak to you
• Reference real situations they relate to
• Avoid sounding like a corporate brochure
• Don’t be afraid to use localized language or “Sheng” in your social media posts to build rapport.
• Tailor your content to specific neighborhoods or regions. Mentioning specific landmarks or local challenges makes your marketing feel custom-made for that audience.

Aim to be “the local expert.” When you speak the language of your customers, you move from being a “vendor” to being a trusted part of the community.

When people feel like a brand “gets them,” they’re far more likely to engage and buy.

7. Short-Form Social Media Videos as the New Search Bar

When people needed a service or product, they searched on Google.

That’s still true, but not for everyone.

While older generations still rely on the first page of Google and AI Overviews, Kenyan Gen Zs and younger Millennials are using platforms like Tiktok and Instagram as their primary informational search tools.

This is not just a Kenyan thing, but a global phenomenon, as recent studies indicate a decline in Google’s market share of the search space:

The discovery usually takes place in one of two forms:

1. Searching directly on the platform’s search function
2. Simply scrolling and discovering products or services that fit their interests.

They want to see the work in motion: short, punchy videos that prove a business is real and active before they even think about making a call.

Utilizing this opportunity

You don’t need fancy equipment or scripted ads. Instead, focus on:

• Showing real work done by real people in real environments
• Explaining what you do in under a minute
• Being consistent, not perfect

Furthermore:

• Stop thinking of TikTok and Reels as just “entertainment.” Treat them as search engines where your videos serve as your business profile.
• Use captions and keywords in your video descriptions so that when someone searches for a service in your area, your video is the first thing that pops up.

Sometimes, filming a 30-second clip of a project being completed is more convincing than a 500-word article.

8. Performance-Driven Influencer Marketing: The Micro-Influencer

Marketing used to be about getting the biggest celebrity with the most followers to post your product. It was expensive, and while it reached many people, it rarely resulted in a high number of actual sales.

In 2026, however, the era of the social media mega celebrity is cooling down. The real ROI now sits with nano- and micro-influencers: people with smaller but highly dedicated and niche communities. These influencers have a high-trust relationship with their followers, making their recommendations feel like advice from a friend rather than a paid ad.

What’s more, because their rate cards are significantly lower than big influencers, you can enroll multiple micro-influencers for at a fraction of the price of their mega counterparts and generate real social proof. One mega influencer promoting a brand appears commercial, but when 10 nano-influencers consistently post about the same thing, in the mind of the consumer, it looks like a new trend.

Taking advantage of this opportunity

• Look for influencers who have 1,000 to 10,000 followers but high engagement in a specific niche related to your business.
• Focus on User-Generated Content (UGC). Encourage these smaller influencers to create authentic videos of them using your services.
• Shift your budget from one big celebrity to ten smaller influencers. You will likely find that the combined impact on your sales is much higher.

Conclusion: What This All Means for Kenyan Businesses

If there’s one takeaway from all these trends, it’s this: digital marketing in Kenya is becoming less about platforms and more about presence.

Presence in conversations.

Presence in answers.

Presence in the moments when customers are deciding, not just browsing.

The tools may look new – AI answers, shoppable posts, automated WhatsApp flows – but the principle remains the same: businesses that are clear, helpful, and easy to engage with will always win.

That said, navigating this shift alone can be overwhelming. Each of these trends requires not just awareness, but thoughtful execution tailored to your industry, your customers, and your growth goals.

And that’s where having the right partner matters.

At Kooni Connect, we help Kenyan businesses cut through the noise and build digital strategies that actually reflect how people discover, evaluate, and buy today. Whether you need to launch a niche eCommerce site or automate your customer journey on WhatsApp, our approach is simple: make your business easier to find, easier to trust, and easier to choose.

2026 will reward businesses that adapt early and intentionally. If you’re ready to move beyond visibility and start building real digital advantage, Kooni is the partner to do it with. Contact us today.