KSA, November 29, 2017: The GCC is in transition as it has experienced and is still undergoing significant changes due to global economic conditions, oil price fluctuations, political events, digital disruptions and most recently the introduction of sin tax. This evolution, coupled with the upcoming VAT has affected consumer behavior, consumption patterns and the retail landscape.
In navigating this ubiquitous change, it is imperative for the market players to stay ahead of the curve and ensure that their business model is ready to compete in the market place in order to win the hearts and carts of the consumers and continue to grow.
According to Nielsen’s Shopper Trends study, 65% of Saudi consumers have felt the pinch of inflationary pressure and 87% of the consumers regularly buy different brands because of promotions. This has led to the rise in bargain hunting and consumers are seen to be increasingly less brand-loyal.
“Shoppers in Saudi are economizing, prioritizing essentials while rationalizing on luxuries and opting for mid-sized packs versus large ones in food categories. Market players should continue to innovate to gain competitive advantage as consumers are still rewarding innovation even if it comes at a premium. Health and wellness is certainly an area to look into with consumers increasingly being more health conscious,” said Arslan Ashraf, Managing Director for Nielsen in the Arabian Peninsula & Pakistan. “The digital space provides another good platform for businesses to better understand and reach consumers, given the high internet and smartphone penetration in the market, which is one of the highest in the world.”
Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights recently held an event in Riyadh and Jeddah attended by representatives of leading companies. At the event, Nielsen’s regional management team delved into the trends shaping the retail environment, insights to consumer behaviors and their consumption habits as well as the fundamental tools to help businesses build differentiated strategies to tackle the broad spectrum of diverse opportunities in the complex and challenging market conditions.
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Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy. The Company’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Nielsen Total Audience measurement services across all devices where content—video, audio and text—is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry's only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90% of the world's population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.