What do shoppers in the Middle East want nowadays?

As much as 63 percent of the shoppers in the Middle East – that have already turned to digital channels to purchase goods and services – have not yet matched the satisfaction of shopping in person, according to a new report from software company Sitecore. 

The survey assesses what factors influence customer loyalty in an attempt to identify the best and worst digital practices.

The findings show that brand loyalty has been put to the test since the onset of the pandemic, but compared to many other countries, shoppers in the Middle East have tended to remain loyal to brands and also to their shopping habits.

The majority of people in the region, regardless of age, prefer the experience of in-person shopping. This according to the report, highlights the challenge for brands to elevate the online experience across all of the customer touchpoints to replicate the excitement and satisfaction of the in-store experience.

The survey found that 50 percent of consumers had used a mobile device to buy goods and that three in five ranked improvements to mobile shopping as the most important way a brand could enhance the shopping experience. 

In addition, 7 percent of respondents believed the quality of online chat had actually decreased over the past two years. 

Moreover, over half of shoppers (53 percent) have returned to a brand after a poor service experience drove them away, with the most common reasons for returning being good service (59 percent), lower price (46 percent), the brand taking steps to rectify the issue (35 percent), and convenience (33 percent).