The JWT MENA region has released its first annual forecast of key consumer trends that will shape or significantly impact markets in the Middle East and North Africa. Economic uncertainty, new technology and a progressive female Millennial are at the center of many of the trends. This and other progressive cohorts—the trendsetters of tomorrow—are counteracting traditional values, driving new behaviors and leveraging technology to redefine their lives, with an increasingly polarized Arab society emerging. The report spotlights how businesses are reacting to their pull, in a consumer landscape that is becoming more demanding and assertive.
Featured trends also include Authentically Arab, a look at the region’s new embrace of its own brands, conceived with modern-day relevance to a new-age Arab; Interrupting Chaos, the growing need for services and tools that help reduce or prevent chaos in everyday lives; and Maximizing Mobile Moments, the idea that smartphone penetration is helping people make the most of right now as they navigate life on the go. Retail on Demand identifies a growing demand for both immediate gratification and ultra convenience, meaning the time is right for brands to embrace more dynamic, agile ways of conversing with their consumers.
For more on JWT MENA’s “8 Trends for 2013,” download the full report—which outlines each trend’s significance across five key markets, its drivers, how it’s manifesting and what it means for brands—here.