How to build brand loyalty
I went to buy pepper, but came back with a branding lesson.
Last weekend, I went on a small errand, one of those quick weekend runs. Nothing serious. I had other things on my mind.
But what happened next reminded me of something too easy to forget in this digital age of branding, logos, and aesthetics.
I walked past five pepper stalls. Yes, five.
Each had a fresh, bright, shiny pepper laid out like a promo. But I didn’t stop at any of them.
I was heading straight for one woman, Mama Tawa. She doesn’t have a shop. She doesn’t have a banner. No POS. No social media handle.
Just a wooden stand and a loyal crowd gathered around her. There was even a woman in the queue who said:
“Na only your pepper dey fresh. I no dey buy from another person.”
That hit me. Right there in the middle of the market, it became clear:
This is brand loyalty — in its purest, most Nigerian form.
Mama Tawa isn’t running Facebook ads. She’s not hiring influencers. But people come back to her again and again because of what she’s built:
Trust — She doesn’t cheat on measurement.
Consistency — Her pepper is always good.
Connection — She remembers her customers by face and even greets them well.
See, sometimes we overcomplicate branding. We chase logos, colour palettes, Canva posts, and think that’s enough. But branding at its core is this:
Do people trust you enough to come back — even when there are other options?
Mama Tawa reminded me that you don’t need millions to build a brand that stands out. You just need to:
Show up.
Be reliable.
Deliver value.
Treat people like humans, not just buyers.
She’s not just selling pepper, she’s selling peace of mind. And that’s what makes a brand unforgettable. So today, I’ll ask you the same question I asked myself on my walk back home:
“Does your brand make people walk past 5 others just to choose you?”
If yes, you’re not just selling. You’re building something real.