Social media influencers and Muslim consumer engagement in Nigeria’s digital marketplace: insights from the COBRA framework

Purpose This study aims to explore how Islamic values and religiosity shape Muslim consumer engagement with social media influencers in Nigeria’s digital marketplace. It aims to provide insights into how faith-based norms influence consumers’ passive, active and co-creative behaviours, using the COBRA (Consumers’ Online Brand-Related Activities) framework. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research design was used to involve semi-structured interviews with 15 purposively selected Muslim social media users in Nigeria. Thematic analysis was used in interpreting the data with religiosity as a moderating lens to evaluate engagement behaviours in faith-sensitive online environments. Findings The study reveals that Muslim consumers’ engagement with social media influencers in Nigeria is strongly moderated by religiosity, ethical alignment and perceived credibility. Highly devout respondents engage privately and selectively, while moderately religious individuals balance modesty with visible participation. Faith-driven trust and halal authenticity significantly shape consumption, contribution and co-creation behaviours. The findings demonstrate that engagement is not purely social or commercial but deeply rooted in moral, cultural and spiritual values influencing digital interaction patterns. Originality/value This study introduces two novel constructs which are Faith-Driven Co-Creation (F-COBRA) and faith-based credibility extending existing the theories into Islamic digital contexts. It is among the first to contextualize COBRA behaviours through religiosity and ethical consistency within an African setting. By integrating moral and spiritual dimensions into digital marketing discussions, the research bridges gaps between Western-centric influencer models and faith-based consumer engagement, offering a culturally grounded framework relevant for emerging Muslim-majority markets.