Customer Trend Log

Consumer Insight: Muslim Tourism Market

Why Muslim Tourism is important?

• Muslim tourists globally represent a major niche market worth $126.1 billion in 2011 growing at a higher 4.8% through 2020, compared to global average of 3.8% (Source: http://advisory.dinarstandard.com/travelstudy/)
• Comparatively this Muslim tourism market as a whole is larger than the largest spending tourist market in the world – Germany – and almost twice that of China’s in 2011
• MENA markets represent 60% of total global Muslim tourist outbound expenditure in 2011

Muslim Tourism

Additional Readings

• http://www.crescentrating.com
• Executive Summary of report on Muslim Travelers: http://imaratconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/DS_CR_TravelReport_ExeSumy_r3.2.pdf
• How the world is gearing up for Muslim travelers: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/59645/global-travel-industry-gears-up-for-muslim-tourist-boom

Consumer Insight: Marketing to Muslims

Hello, welcome and Salam,Thanks for taking time out and stopping by at my blog. Today’s post is about the insight we as marketers are overlooking when we target Muslims. I have posted earlier on the same topic; you can find that post here

I will try to summarize below my conclusion about what insights are missing when we target Muslims.  

• Imagery Driven: I am not sure when marketers will realize Islam is beyond crescent, veils and prayer mats. (may be the end of the Mayan Calendar will be the beginning of that realization – pun intended)
• Muslims are undoubtedly a big and juicy market USD 2 trillion, but there are not enough specialized advertising agencies, other than Ogilvy Noor, for this market segment when compared to other Niche segments like Hispanic Market.
• Young: On an average, Muslims of the world are 27 years old. Your typical YPE, generation Y & generation x. Imagine their lives, facebook, multiculturalism, strong faith and tons of media bombardment trying to tell them that they are backward or fundamentalists. They clearly seek clarity what is stopping brands to offer them that?
• Indonesia & Malaysia have done some interesting advancements in Islamic Branding front like introducing a Fashion brand etc. I crave to see more of that coming from rest of the world.
• Muslims are travelling: I have a privilege to live in UAE (most of you know it as Dubai), everyone here travels at least once a year. And when we do, trust me it is hassle to find comfort from small to large things e.g. availability of water in washrooms, halal food, Ramadan timing breakfast etc. The market spent of Muslim Travellers is around USD 126 billion, tourism industry must try to capture it.
• Less Judgmental: Aren’t we a bit too quick in drawing our conclusions when it comes to religious minority or majority? Here is an interesting article about that

 Have a look at the presentation and slides, hope you will find them interesting.

Enjoy the remaining days of 2012, see you in 2013  

Marketing to Muslims

Map of Muslim Population

Muslim Segment is worth 2 trillion dollars

Marketing Evolves for Women

Missing pieces in Evolution of Marketing to Muslims

Expert Opinion – marketing to muslims

Muslim Population demographics

Muslim Traveler

Marketing to ignored Target Audience

Learn from Quran – Dig Deep

Google Trends about Consumer Insight and Consumer Trend

I was just fooling around with Google trends about consumer insight and consumer trends. And I landed on following questions.

Key questions:

• Increasing interest coming from India in consumer research and insight
• Cognos Consumer Insight as the rising trend. Indicating IBM’s lead in analytics, and interest of Business sector in having in-house analytics
• Why consumer trend as a term is popular only in USA?
• Advertising and marketing in Britain relies more on consumer insight than the rest of the world?
• Why UAE didn’t appear in any search worldwide, I was under the impression that research is getting more mainstream here?

Interest from India

Cognos Consumer Insight

Consumer Trend USA

Researchers’ Paradise

Researchers’ Paradise?

Research in UAE

Emerging Consumer Trends in 2012

Trends helps us to shape ourselves according to consumers’ expectations, following are 3 trends which are affecting the consumer. It is now up to us to use them or ignore them.

Social Media Statistics in United Arab Emirates

Key questions this data raises:-

1. Average ad-spend on social media per annum is AED 50,000 only. The question is, in a market where TV is extremely fragmented and print is very expensive what is stopping brands from exploring new media?
2. Why no conventional brand is topping the chart?
3. E-Commerce market of USD 2 billion and still we don’t see anything about www.souq.com , this raises the question about the rating calculation.
4. Is share of subscribers a good indicator, or we should explore more into user sentiment, loyalty and spending

All the data, is also consolidated in UAE databank . UAE databank, is a project of www.customertrendlog.com which aims at combining all the scattered data of UAE consumer in one place. Contact us if you would like to submit or discover any indicator about UAE consumer.

Author Info: Anam Saeed is an emerging marketing research executive with a knack to explore new age media. She has developed content for multiple local and international clients. Based out of South Asia she brings a perspective of developing markets in her research studies.

UAE Databank

UAE Databank

UAE TGI Data

At the end, it is all about numbers.  Enjoy the rich repository of the usage data of customers based in UAE.

Dont forget to run a search for the indicator that you are looking for in the search box placed at the right corner of the following table.

UAE Databank

Infographic – Key insights into Gen Y

How to build a brand in UAE? Ten rules that all marketers should know

The world is full of global brands. Which were never designed to be global brands? How to dominate the world is about how to beat them.

This presentation adds insights from United Arab Emirates to the points raised by Simon Silvester

Rule 1: Think Zeitgest  - UAE has startled the world through its development and growth, brands should capitalize that

Rule 2: Think Trial – UAE is a paradise of retail outlets, think trial to all the young audience and the expats that have recently arrived

Rule 3: Think Visual – When 208 nationalities combine speaking multiple languages, the language of your brand should be visual

Rule 4: Think Youthquake – UAE population has an average age of 27, you should connect to the young & rising.

Rule 5: Think Small – UAE is getting green, your brand should be saving on paper and all avoidable wastes because you love environment

Rule 6: Think Print – The media in UAE is print, followed by digital. Think visual, body copy and go crazy

Rule 7: Think Fast – People are on the move, fads are coming and going and where the hell is your brand? Move fast because if you will not your competition will

Rule 8: Think Cultural Neutrality – So many cultures, so many languages but one dream — Dubai Dream

Rule 9: Think Kiasu – Ambition charges UAE population & your brand should fuel it

Rule 10: Think Mobile 200% penetration rate of mobiles asks brand to evolve through modern technology

Brand Mantra: In UAE brand should capture human imagination, and should capture it faster than human imagination

Reading: How to dominate the world by Simon Silvester

UAE customer Trend: 6 questions that TGI (Target group Index report) raises about UAE Food market

TGI 2011 product book aims at providing percentage penetration of multiple product categories in different countries.

What I have done in the following table is that I have compared penetration of food products in UAE with countries that have scored high in that category. 

Now this data set poses following questions  

1. Is UAE market of Colas smaller than the market of Fizzy drink/energy drinks?
2. Cola market is smaller than ready to drink fruit and vegetable juices? If yes, then Almarai, Al Ain juices and other such brands have done a good job
3. Obesity in UAE is rising, maybe because of 83% penetration of potato crisps?
4.  Why Chewing Gum penetration is only 63%?
5. If South Koreans are not using oil for cooking than what are they using, because that might lead to low level of obesity?
6. Is there a room for expansion in Mayonnaise or soup market in UAE, considering the eating habits of majority?  

The sampling details for TGI-UAE market are as follow

• UAE 15+
•  8 urban cities
• Sample Size  5,000
• Jul 2009 – Dec 2009

If you have more questions and want to contact TGI group directly, you can drop them an email at enquiries@globaltgi.com