Admitad MENA, a branch of the Global Affiliate Network Admitad, has released its second annual industry report where it underlines several key trends and factors in today’s heavily saturated digital era.
As we move into a generation driven by e-commerce and social media, the shift to online shopping is becoming increasingly popular- in fact, one of the most prominent trends revealed in Admitad’s report highlights that the average penetration of online shopping in the world is expected to reach over 63% by the end of this year. To put things into perspective, over 1.9 billion people currently use online platforms for their shopping purposes; which is over 25% of the world’s population! An interesting factor in the report reveals that in most Arab countries, it is the millennials that monopolize majority of the internet usage as well as having a significantly higher purchasing power as compared to their peers from other countries- let’s take into account that a recent report from Global Media Insight showed that over 64% of the UAE’s population were under the age of 31. As of 2019, the UAE is one of the biggest players in the Arab e-commerce market.
According to Admitad’s annual report, 83% of UAE’s 8.2 million internet users make purchases online. With the rise of digital retail platforms, such as Namshi, Noon, Ounass and several others, the UAE’s e-commerce market is estimated to be worth an astounding $27.1 billion by the year 2022. The report also outlines the high purchasing power for luxury goods in the MENA Region (particularly in the UAE) is significantly bigger than any other country in the world. Arab countries currently rank 9th by demand for luxury goods, but Admitad’s analysis shows a steady rise in the UAE’s position on the list. Whilst growth opportunities in many markets do tend to decline in specific periods of time, it has become imperative to acknowledge the current climate in the UAE and what that means for affiliate marketing advertisers.
“We saw more and more publishers choose not websites, but social media communities, messengers, YouTube channels, etc for their affiliate strategy. We are talking about thousands of new publishers, and millions of potential target customers. Our goal is to give advertisers a chance to successfully communicate with the audience in a new way where transparency and efficiency is a key feature.” – Artem Rudyuk, Head of Admitad MENA
Another important analysis outlined that by the year 2020, the mobile advertising market will exceed all other ‘traditional’ channels. It is becoming increasingly imperative for advertisers to find a way to increase traffic via mobile internet and social media platforms. Infact, omnichannel approaches are picking up speed, as consumers enjoy a balanced environment where they can access multiple platforms, devices and spaces- convenience is trendy. More and more companies are becoming aware of the switch from desktop usage to mobiles, and are consequently launching mobile apps to accompany their marketing efforts.
“There is no shortage of great websites and applications in every vertical, from travel & tourism to luxury goods. Nowhere is there greater opportunity right now than in the Middle East. ” – Michael Hansen, DuBLi.com CEO & Founder