Mohammed Alkhotani, Area Vice President – Middle East and Africa, Sitecore
Doha: Since the pandemic, 100 percent of customers in Qatar have become digital converts and now want to keep buying everything online, Sitecore, the global leader in digital experience management software, announced yesterday.
The research, conducted by YouGov MENA, surveyed more than 650 IT decision-makers across 12 countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Levant, and Egypt. Boosted by the stay-at-home economy of COVID-19, the Middle East’s e-commerce market reached $12.1bn in 2020, representing 53.8 percent year-over-year growth, according to a recent report by MarketLine. Electronics and retail accounted for $5.2bn or 42.5 percent of the total market.
As e-commerce continues to grow, customers are placing greater emphasis on the customer experience. Since the pandemic, 100 percent of Qatar’s IT decision-makers said their customers will navigate away from a site and choose an alternative if they can’t find what they need in just a few clicks. Furthermore, 88 percent of Qatar respondents agreed that their customers have less patience with slow or poorly functioning websites.
“With 100 percent of Qatar customers being digital converts to e-commerce, the country is seeing a rapid transition from bricks and mortar stores to hybrid and e-commerce models,” said Mohammed Alkhotani, Area Vice President – Middle East and Africa, Sitecore. “Millennials and Generation Z customers have quickly shifted their significant spending power online. Pressure will continue to mount on retailers until they can deliver an experience that delights.”
Brands in Qatar are taking a variety of actions to improve the shopping experience. The majority, 63 percent, ranked an online app or website that works well on mobile devices as among their top three choices.
Also scoring highly in the top three choices were brands keeping up to date on the latest trends and fresh inspiration (51 percent), remembering customers’ shopping history and preferences (51 percent),, the ability to order by voice command, smart watch, or smart speaker (50 percent), and knowing the name during login or customer service (39 percent).
“Brand loyalty has evaporated and there is no margin for error from browsing through to delivery,” added Mohammed Alkhotani. “Brands in Qatar are already ahead of the curve in prioritizing mobile apps and websites to personalize online experiences.”
