UAE BARQ برق الإمارات – نبضك
The Western Hemisphere has known and celebrated Black Friday for decades now, but the event is only recently becoming more and more recognised in the Arab countries. According to Black Friday Global, 79% of modern Emiratis are aware of the affair, and 63,41% plan to participate in it on the 23rd November 2018. The numbers are very promising, but the question stands: will predictions come true and certify Black Friday as a nationwide festival?
According to the survey we have studied, the responses of Emiratis and Saudis concerning the topic of shopping are alike. Customers are decreasingly brand loyal (41-42% in 2017 down to 34% in 2018) and more often look to save by buying from cheaper brands. This might be proof that Black Friday has a chance of becoming a very successful sale in the UAE, as it did for their Arabian Gulf neighbours.
The study has also shown that e-commerce is going to be increasingly important in the UAE, as the shift from traditional marketing strategies is recently becoming more apparent. According to a 2017 KPMG survey, Emiratis belong to the group spending the most money per purchase online out of 51 researched countries. Some experts even go beyond claiming that people don’t go shopping anymore; they shop all the time and everywhere. That is why online businesses are about to largely enhance their reach in the country, and the best bargains on the Web appear during Black Friday.
Moreover, as stated by the study, the main Emirati customer’s picks for online purchase are fashion items, electronics, and perfumes, which almost perfectly lines up with the diagram below prepared by Black Friday Global:
This proves that the needs of Emirati consumers overlap with the needs of Black Friday participants. Hence, on the 23rd of November, the requirement for such bargains will be thoroughly fulfilled.
Modern Emiratis have specific expectations regarding the ways in which online companies can earn the clients’ devotion. Again, regarding many surveys, 65% of customers look for an interplay; their needs ought to be anticipated and somehow projected onto a shop’s interactive platform. Therefore, consumers need a responsive and active attitude from their retailers. The 45% of customers expect exclusive discounts and deals. The aforementioned 45 is also the percentage of an average Emirati rebate during Black Friday. It is very likely, though, that electronics shops will raise this number, with some, like Souq, offering even up to 70-80% off their original prices. Finally, 37% of UAE customers are devoted to shops that offer loyalty programmes. From newsletters and online accounts, consumers can find out about discounts designed especially for Black Friday, whether it is 30% off Ginger bags or 20% off all full-priced items at Namshi.
If you are a devoted online shopper it won’t be a surprise for you that above-mentioned Souq has proposed to rename the event. That’s why Black Friday has become White Friday since this day of the week is a time of worship. Such acculturation might augment the three-fifths of Emiratis planning to participate in an even higher number. The festival of sales might not be nationwide yet, but all the recent trends – customers looking for the cheapest deals, buying a lot online and expecting active adjustment from retailers – point to the fact that Black or White Friday is an event that the UAE needs to and will widely adopt.
