Choose Kazakh-Made: How Nudge Theory Encourages Consumers to Support Domestic Products

On 1 June 2026, Kazakhstan launched a nationwide initiative to scale up behavioural interventions aimed at promoting domestically produced cheese. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan in partnership with the National Analytical Centre (NAC) at Nazarbayev University, the Center for Trade Policy Development “QazTrade”, and regional departments responsible for trade and consumer protection.

The expansion builds on the success of a pilot experiment that demonstrated a simple but powerful insight: supporting national brands is not only about increasing supply or awareness - it is also about designing an environment that makes domestic products easier to notice and choose. By improving the “choice architecture” in retail settings, behavioural interventions can increase product visibility, simplify decision-making, and foster more positive consumer attitudes toward locally produced goods.

Pilot Project

In spring 2026, NAC led a pilot experiment testing behavioural interventions in the Kazakhstani retail sector, in collaboration with the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), a leading UK-based behavioural science organisation, and the “Magnum Cash & Carry” supermarket chain.The four-week pilot was conducted in eight “Magnum” supermarkets in Astana under real-world shopping conditions. Its objective was to draw consumers’ attention to domestically produced products and encourage the selection of Kazakh-made goods through carefully designed behavioural cues.

The intervention was based on the concept of a nudge - a behavioural science approach that helps people make decisions that are beneficial both for themselves and for society without restricting freedom of choice. Such approaches have been successfully used across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to promote healthier food choices, increase public engagement, and strengthen economic patriotism. The pilot marked one of the first large-scale applications of behavioural science to consumer decision-making in Kazakhstan.

Why Do Consumers Overlook Domestic Products?

Cheese was selected as the focus of the experiment because it is a widely consumed staple dairy product in Kazakhstan. Yet despite its importance in everyday consumption, nearly half of the country’s cheese market (around 47%) is supplied by imports.

A nationwide NAC survey of 1,000 respondents revealed a striking paradox. While 59% of respondents reported positive attitudes toward domestically produced cheese, most consumers had limited knowledge about the origin of the products they purchase. 71% of respondents were unable to name the brand of cheese they regularly buy, and 32% did not know the country of origin of the product they consume.

The survey also highlighted widespread perceptions that imported cheese offers higher quality, greater variety, and better taste than domestic alternatives. However, many respondents lacked sufficient information to make objective comparisons.

The findings indicate that consumers do not always make choices based on a conscious preference for imported or domestic products. Instead, purchasing decisions are often influenced by habits, existing perceptions, and the retail environment.

Small Changes, Significant Impact: The Power of Behavioural Nudges

Limited consumer awareness of food products highlights the importance of creating intuitive choice architecture that helps shoppers make decisions at the point of purchase. To address this challenge, the experiment introduced a range of behavioural interventions designed to increase the visibility and recognisability of Kazakh-made cheese while making it easier for consumers to identify and select domestic products in-store.

Kazakh cheese products were grouped into clearly designated shelf sections marked with branded shelf dividers, stickers, and shelf strips featuring the “Made in Kazakhstan” label. At the entrance to participating stores, banners highlighted three key benefits of choosing domestically produced cheese: affordability, quality, and support for local producers.

In-store audio messages in both Kazakh and Russian further reinforced these messages. Accompanied by Kurmangazy’s composition Saryarka, the announcements encouraged shoppers to consider Kazakh-made cheese as part of their purchasing decisions.

Results of the Experiment

At first glance, the changes introduced in the pilot stores were relatively simple. Yet this is exactly how behavioural interventions work: small cues can have a surprisingly large impact on the choices people make. When shoppers are unsure about the brands they buy or where products come from, a well-timed prompt can help bring overlooked options into view.

The results were striking. Over just four weeks, sales of Kazakh-made cheese increased by around 20% in treatment stores - well above the average 8% effect typically reported for behavioural interventions worldwide. Average spending on Kazakh cheese also rose by 670 tenge per purchaser, highlighting the potential of behavioural insights to support domestic products and producers.

To better understand consumer responses, NAC conducted exit surveys with shoppers at pilot supermarkets. Many said the visual materials helped them spot domestic products more quickly and navigate the cheese section with greater ease. Among the campaign materials, shelf stickers and dividers proved most effective at capturing shoppers' attention, followed by banners, shelf strips, and audio messages.

The impact extended beyond purchasing decisions. More than half of respondents (56%) reported that the intervention had improved their perception of Kazakh-made cheese, and most said they would be willing to buy it again in the future. Among the most common reasons were a desire to support local producers and the ease of identifying domestic products on store shelves.

From Pilot to Nationwide Scale-Up

The pilot showed that small changes can make a meaningful difference. By making domestic products easier to spot, behavioural interventions helped shape consumer choices and boost the visibility of Kazakh-made cheese. Encouraged by these results, the Ministry of Trade and Integration launched a nationwide rollout of the initiative on 1 June 2026, extending it to all regions of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan’s legislation already requires retail chains to allocate at least 30% of shelf assortment to domestic products. An additional 20% of shelf space may be supported through programmes administered by the Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund. The Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan is currently strengthening measures to promote domestic goods both in traditional retail and in e-commerce. New requirements for online marketplaces include preferential display mechanisms for Kazakh products in search results and dedicated “Made in Kazakhstan” sections.

Both international experience and Kazakhstan’s pilot project demonstrate that economic patriotism can be strengthened through well-designed choice architecture. Behavioural approaches are not a substitute for traditional public policy instruments. Rather, they complement regulatory measures, subsidies, and financial support programmes by enhancing their overall effectiveness and economic impact.