Internet is a MENA staple: 2,300% increase over past decade
Consumer brands must look online for growth, says TNS chief
Dubai, UAE February 22 2012: Many regional markets are experiencing a staggering increase in internet usage, up from 7.8 million to 187 million users in the last decade, according to Steve Hamilton-Clark, CEO of the world’s largest custom market research organisation, TNS MENA.
“Over the past ten years, internet use in the greater MENA region is up 2,300 per cent. I am seeing this as one of many indications that consumer brands must change the way they do business.”
Hamilton-Clark shared that the recently-published TNS Digital Life global programme looks at how consumers in 60 countries behave online. “The statistics show that 90 per cent of region-based consumers conduct research across all categories using the internet before purchase. They also indicate that e-commerce is set to grow in the region,” he said.
He also stressed that as online engagement grows, consumer brands must be ready to manage a full spectrum of customer services, from assisting pre-purchase research, through to product selection, purchase, delivery, as well as a slick after-sales service.
“The internet affords infinitive opportunities and we urge marketers to fast appreciate this or face being left behind. Indeed, online and mobile shopping looks set to play an even bigger role as support channels, software and devices continue to develop,” Hamilton-Clark observed.
He also noted that hosting loyalty schemes online provides brands with a great opportunity to become more creative in the way they hook and keep a customer, as well as manage the relationship. However, he warned the research suggests that consumers often feel that brand voice lacks lustre, with some unsure whether to trust what is being said.
“One of the keys to leadership in the digital space is the provision of timely, relevant information at the right touch points. Indeed, before stepping online, it is wise to go back-to-basics and consider the consumer experience beyond the core product,” he said.
Turning to the UAE, many residents spend an average of 15 hours per week online, including three hours on social networking sites. Users are also active in video streaming, knowledge-based activities and gaming. Hamilton-Clark said that this represents enormous opportunities if used intelligently and diligently by marketers and the media.
“Digital is fast becoming a primary media channel, with search engine ads currently influencing 20 per cent of product selection made by regional consumers.
“However, there is still the need to incorporate offline marketing strategies to drive traffic online in the first place. An integrated approach is needed and campaigns should include on-and off-line tactics,” he concluded.
About Digital Life
TNS’s Digital Life is a vast study into the attitudes and behaviours of the world’s consumers online. Digital Life applies TNS’s long-established expertise and deep consumer understanding to develop insights and address the key questions that inform marketing investment as well as pinpoint the range of growth opportunities available to brands in the online world. Digital Life’s size, scale and detail make it the most comprehensive view of consumer attitudes and behaviour online, at a global and local level; based on in-depth conversations with 72,000 people in 60 countries.
About TNS MENA
TNS operates across a vast network of over 80 countries and is one of the leading global custom marketing research organisations. TNS MENA was established in 1980 to cater to the growing markets of the Middle East.
Today TNS MENA is one of the largest full-service agency in the MENA region, with 150 research consultants delivering accurate business insight and counsel to its 200 plus clients. In the MENA region TNS focuses on creating valuable market research in leading sectors including FMCG, Technology, Finance, Media, Healthcare, Automotive. Every year TNS MENA conducts over 900,000 quantitative interviews and 3,500 qualitative conversations.
TNS MENA has pioneered Consumer understanding studies in regional markets with studies such as Arab as a Consumer (ARAC), Brands, Islam and the New Muslim Consumer (led by Ogilvy), Digital Life, Mobile Life, and Consumer Sentiment & Confidence. The Arab as a Consumer study is a syndicated study organised by TNS MENA since 1987. Apart from ARAC, TNS has also conducted Shabab Tek, a youth study that offers unique insights into the GCC youth markets.
