Customer Trend Log

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.

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

Consumer Insight: How blackberry ban will affect UAE consumer

The United Arab Emirates is to block sending e-mails, accessing the internet, and delivering instant messages to other Blackberry handsets – BBC, for more news on UAE Blackberry ban

“Blackberry ban in UAE: Good news for Iphone and a bad news for middle class mobile internet surfers”

Here are some statistics which should be considered before understanding the effect of Blackberry ban.

1. UAE tops Arab world for mobile phone penetration rates, the rate for mobile phone users in the UAE stood at 193.5 percent, followed by Saudi Arabia with a rate of 165.5 percent. (Note: Saudia Arabia has also announced a freeze on blackberry services)
2. “BlackBerry plans represent a substantial part of that (mobile data); while the operators don’t give exact numbers, Etisalat confirmed to me last week that 15% of its mobile subscribers were on mobile data plans, which include BlackBerry.  It’s so widely used, that of that fifteen percent, BlackBerry comprises the largest single part – as much as 10% of the total mobile subscriber base in the UAE”. Informa Media & Telecoms senior analyst Matthew Reed told Arabian Business

Impact on UAE Consumer

1. YPEs, business professionals and B2B users are directly affected with the current policy change, as they are the prime target audience for the handset.
2. Sale of blackberry will drop which will cause an increase in the sales of Iphone. As UAE mobile web surfers have already favored apple Iphone, while Nokia is unable to tap a considerable market share in UAE and in MENA
3. Telecom operators of other countries might benefit from this step. As telecom operators in other countries continuing to provide such services, users who believe that such services are indispensible to their business or lifestyle may be tempted to use the roaming facilities of such players. “Roaming charges in India are pretty cheap,” said an Indian expatriate in the UAE who currently uses the BlackBerry email service extensively for business purposes. “I am going to get the cheapest Indian SIM card and use it here”
4. Iphone price is an entry barrier for Blackberry users and thus small scale users will opt for other solutions for wi-fi internet. It can possibly be the wi-fi internet offer of Etisalat.
5. Mobile commerce and mobile access to social networking sites will be directly affected as these are one of the key activities of mobile internet users.

Additional readings

1. Economist report on Blackberry in UAE
2. Report on mobile usage in UAE 
3. RIM provides the terms and conditions demanded by TRA to USA, UK & China.
4. Governments around the world has security concerns on Blackberry
5. Most people use mobile internet to access social networking sites in USA

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Advertising Sector: Success elements for Social Media Companies in UAE

One question that I was asking myself for quite some time is what is I want to launch an internet concern, a social media company or something on the digital revolution lines in UAE. What will help me succeed? I am trying to answer that question in this blog entry, hope you will find it useful.

Question 1 – Why consider launching a digital company in UAE

UAE has the purchase potential: Per capita income is $54,430 , E-commerce in UAE to hit $36bn by 2010 this is bigger than the whole economy of Lebanon.Credit cards are everywhere so online purchase is not an issue and probably this is why the online retail sphere in UAE is constantly growing

UAE is ready for digital revolution: it is the top ranking Arab state in terms of e-readiness, 3 out of 5 people in UAE have internet access. UAE is a world leader in terms of mobile lines per person, with almost 2 phones lines per person. (There were 1.5 million 3G handsets in UAE in 2008)

For more more statistics on UAE internet penetration  (previous blog entry) 

Now let us see what the key consumer-desires in UAE are and how can we leverage those: -

Here is a detailed presentation, FYR.

• Recognition: UAE and people in UAE have an uncontrollable urge to be recognized. Capitalize that.
  • Innovate : Make UAE the platform for something new (it will gain traction, usage, build community)
  • Be the First 1 in some respect: Example UAE the first one to launch Windows 7

• Identity, Personality and Cultural Uniqueness: From Government to a common Emirati, everyone is keen to maintain the unique Emirati identity
  • Maintain the Identity : Learn from leading Arab online communities maktoob , travian , UAE women network or follow the guidelines chalked out for brand Abu-Dhabi
  • Language: Arabic. The journey of culture, identity and heritage begins from there. (plus, language will help you fit-in well with Arabic speakers)
  • Segmentation: Create activity groups of and for Emiratis. Provide Emiratis some form of exclusivity 

• Empower Youth: Government is investing a lot in UAEs youth and is promoting a culture that will enable their Youth to lead from the front in today’s competitive world
  • Enable: Be an enabler; either by connecting, providing knowledge, providing ideas, facilitating education. Enlighten / connect / update / Equip / provide voice etc
  • Encourage: Occasionally and/or regularly encourage offline and online activities through your social media that helps youngsters at UAE to be heard at international level

• UAE is a business hub. 
  • Help the entrepreneurs interact, exchange knowledge, and use it as a platform to revolutionize their business. Better yet, promote SMEs

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About

About Customer Trend Log:

Customer Trend Log aims at discovering and covering the insights that are causing a shift in consumers’ choices. We firmly believe that in today’s age informative will eat the naïve and I am trying to equip myself and those who take time out to read the blog with quality information. The blog is mostly about the UAE (United Arab Emirates) consumer across all 7 emirates but focusing primarily on Abu Dhabi & Dubai.

In line with the vision of quality information the site hosts UAE databank: An open data initiative, the first of its kind in UAE which aims at collating all consumer data in one centralized repository. Contact us if you would like to submit a data set.

Occasionally, I try to bring experienced writers and subject matter experts to discuss their opinions about emerging customer trends.

Tell me what you think about this log, it is always good to hear from friends.

A little about the author:

Ayesha Saeed – Marketing Research & Communication Specialist

In daily business routines there are times when you need someone to remind you of your true potential, to tell you what your consumer is expecting of you or to assist you in exploring markets. That is where I come in. I have been empowering enterprises with insights since 2003.

With the experience of EMEA & South Asian market, I have been unearthing consumer dynamics across multiple sectors including FMCG, media consumption, financial instruments, telecom, public sector, automotive sectors. To know more about me visit my LinkedIn profile at http://ae.linkedin.com/in/ayeshasaeed and/or send me an email

Selected professional contributions

• Launched, managed and marketed Consumerlink (a division of WPP MC) in Pakistan. This was first internet based Research Company in Pakistan.
• Conceptualized, launched, marketed and managed; info-mining (Pakistan’s first offering in the field of data mining and fusion), syndicated products for US based companies, media companies and Retail census of Afghanistan.
• Actively pitched and won multiple accounts for JWT Pakistan & Team Young & Rubicam (Abu-Dhabi & Qatar) across all categories including beverages, telecom, fertilizers, financial sector, real estate, health care, government initiatives/departments, and non-profit organizations.
• Handled a portfolio clients in UAE & Qatar as a strategic communication planne/account planner
• Handled the research initiatives of Western Region Municipality (Abu Dhabi), this role involves building an internal research department, liaising with research agency, floating research tenders and utilizing the research data to manage performance
• Worked as a PMO- Manager for Business Process Re-engineering Project, the roles involves managing the project using Prince2 tools & developing the processes for central PMO for the organization

• Have participated in multiple business seminars as a speaker on marketing research, social media, (Presentation material for the latest seminar conducted in Abu Dhabi )

 Professional development

• Have participated in multiple business seminars as a speaker on marketing research, social media, online marketing research (presentation material on research)
• Interviewed by national TV channel and marketing publication (Coverage of a Telecom campaign which introduced segmentation in pre-paid mobile markets refer to pg. 12)
• Some of my presentations that I have shared on slide-share

My Personal life:

I am an outdoor sports person. Ever-ready for any adventurous activity that comes my way. We have a big group here in Abu-Dhabi and we organize group activities like Kayaking, Parachute jumping, etc and that keeps me busy on weekends.

I love traveling & exploring. And lately I have developed this love for coffee evenings . Thats all about me, I guess.