If you’re an entrepreneur in Nigeria, you’ll need to know how to stand out in a crowded market. This is particularly true if your business operates in one of the larger industries in the country.
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One person who knows what it’s like to battle it out in a hypercompetitive space is Gbemisola Ande. As a founder and Creative Director of Glamour by Gbemi, a company in the fashion industry, she constantly has to outperform other players in that arena. And she’s done this—and succeeded at it –for well over a decade. So it stands to reason that she has insights to share about excelling in a crowded sector.
As a result, she was a natural candidate for guest speaker at Connect Nigeria’s monthly business webinar, which was held on Friday, October 24, 2025. This article summarises her best tips from the event.
Have a Firm Vision
It’s often said that businesses built on the foundation of a definite vision and pursued with that passion will typically fare much better than those that are the result of chasing temporary trends. Gbemi agrees. She says that knowing how to compete in a crowded market begins with defining a vision you can work with, instead of operating with some vaguely described goal.
“You need to be clear about why your brand exists: its purpose,” she advises.
“Ask, what change can you make in your industry? Are you pursuing it because your neighbour is doing so, or because you are passionate about it?”
Find Your Unique Value
Companies that stand out from within their domains all have one thing in common: a unique value that places them head and shoulders above others in their industry or segment.
“Find your unique value,” Gbemi says.
“What is it that you’re offering that your competitors aren’t? You need to develop a unique value that attracts and keeps people. Your brand promise must be easy to decipher and resonate with your market.”
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Choose Clarity over Loudness
Industries brimming with competing brands are also quite “noisy”. That is, there’s a lot of promoting, pitching, and appeals to be heard from the businesses that play within it. But, as Gbemisola notes, it is one thing to make a lot of noise about your product or service, and quite another to be clear enough to actually be understood by your target audience.
“In a crowded market, the brand that wins is not the loudest but the clearest,”
Gbemi says.
For her, clear messaging is communicating so effectively that your ideal demographic, as well as your prospects and leads, can appreciate you and your offering.
Deliver Great Experiences
People aren’t just looking to buy a product with fantastic features. They want something that gives them a pleasant, maybe even memorable experience. That, according to Gbemi, is what you should be selling them. She urges business owners to do this consistently, as doing so would make their offerings more attractive to potential buyers.
When you are unable to meet the expectations you’ve created around your product or service, you should inform customers and explain the reason(s) for the underperformance.
In Gbemi’s words:
“Deliver the exact thing that you promise on or before the agreed-upon deadline. Communicate any reasons for changing any of these things.”
Build a Consistent Identity
One way to break through the cacophony of crowded markets is to run with brand signifiers that are easy to identify and remember. This comes in the form of consistent colours, fonts, and communication styles, and other designs. When your business comes to be identified with these things, it’ll be easy to tell it apart from a sea of competitors.
As Gbemi notes, this is a big part of what Nigerians call “packaging”—the totality of a brand identity that impresses people who you want to buy into it.
“Build a consistent identity through audio, visuals, and colours that resonate with people.”
Strive for Greater Customer Loyalty
A business that has mastered how to stand out in a crowded market is one that continually builds a loyal customer base. Gbemi says she puts a high price on customer loyalty because it’s clear evidence that a business is keeping its customers happy.
She points out that businesses can drive greater customer loyalty by over-delivering on their promises. Sometimes this means turning down opportunities that they are adequately resourced to handle.
According to her:
“Building loyalty is extremely important. Say no to projects you can’t handle instead of taking them on and disappointing your clients in the end.”
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Final Words
As an entrepreneur in Nigeria, learning how to compete in a crowded market is a continuous process. Through this article, we have shared some of the best tips from a businessperson who’s actually been there and done that. We’re wishing you on to apply these lessons to your venture, so that it achieves great things.
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