Consumer spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is expected to skyrocket to $62 trillion by 2025. The region’s rich cultural heritage, diverse population, and growing digital prowess make it a lucrative market for businesses across all industries that want to expand their global footprints.

With over 50% of Middle East customers expecting to increase their digital spending, brands looking to tap into this demographic must understand how to engage them effectively. But these big spenders have even higher expectations, making it challenging for companies to earn their trust and loyalty.

Luckily, the region’s growing digital adoption and preference for mobile apps present significant opportunities for businesses to engage Middle East consumers on their favorite channels.

Attracting, obtaining, and retaining modern Middle East customers starts with seamless experiences, personalized communications, and an emphasis on trust and relationships.

Impress them

 

Middle East consumers expect to be impressed by the experiences brands deliver. If they receive anything less, businesses will miss out big time.

According to Mitto’s Middle East customers’ communication preferences survey:

  • Almost two-thirds of Middle East customers would lose trust in a business following subpar experiences and support
  • Nearly one-fourth of consumers would stop purchasing from a brand after just one negative experience
  • After two to three poor interactions, that number jumps to 36%

Inflation is among the drivers behind these high expectations. As prices continue to rise, so does the desire for fantastic customer experiences (CX):

  • More than half of Middle East customers are anticipating brands to enhance their CX and customer support
  • Close to half of consumers want a greater level of personalization from brands during times of high inflation
  • Middle East consumers are awaiting more quality services to compensate for price increases

With almost one-third of consumers reporting they would rather go to the dentist than have a painful brand interaction, delivering memorable experiences to Middle East customers could increase their spending habits during inflation.

The power of personalization

 

With a culture rooted in strong family and community ties, trust and relationships mean everything to Middle East shoppers. To gain their trust, businesses must deliver personalized communications that address individual customers’ goals, preferences, and pain points.

However, this can be challenging because the Middle East is a mosaic of diverse languages and cultures. Brands must be mindful of the region’s cultural nuances, localized traditions, beliefs, and languages. Personalization and cultural sensitivity should guide every aspect of a brand’s communication strategy.

Businesses can leverage customer data and demographics to segment consumers by location, age, gender, income, ethnicity, and other vital characteristics. This ensures the right messaging is being seen by the right audience.

Seamless omnichannel communications are essential

 

Brands must take an omnichannel communications approach to engage Middle East consumers effectively. This ensures they deliver streamlined experiences on customers’ favorite platforms while providing flexibility and convenience.

When it comes to brand-consumer interactions, Mitto found that:

  • One-third of Middle East residents prefer to communicate with brands via both chat apps and SMS
  •  Two-thirds of consumers believe it’s essential for brands to offer the option to communicate on numerous channels, including SMS, chat apps, and social media
  •  One-third of shoppers define good customer support as the flexibility to connect on different channels

Delivering seamless conversations across all channels, including SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Viber, improves customer experiences and care while offering the flexibility and convenience Middle East consumers crave.

Mitto helps brands connect with Middle East consumers at scale

 

Mitto’s comprehensive suite of advanced communication tools helps brands impress Middle East customers with hyper-personalized, two-way, cohesive conversations across their favorite channels.

Want to learn how we can help you? Visit us at Seamless Middle East in Dubai this week or contact us today for more information.