New changes in Saudi e-commerce: Nearly half of consumers increase spending on live shopping

The study shows that among the new shopping methods, live shopping and AR are the most eye-catching. 56% of the respondents have tried live shopping in the past year , and 88% said they will increase the number of live shopping in the future.

Live shopping can provide consumers with real-time feedback through social media, websites or other applications, and better demonstrate product features. Nearly half (48%) of respondents said their spending on live shopping increased last year, with luxury goods, auto parts, sports equipment and travel accessories being the most popular categories.

In terms of AR , 83% of the respondents found it very interesting to use AR to interact with brand sellers. In China, AR has been widely used in the retail market. Consumers can use AR to try on lipstick colors, shoes, clothes, and even which hairstyle suits them. However, there is still room for improvement in the development of AR in Saudi Arabia. 84% of the respondents said that local AR technology needs to be further developed.

In addition, the study found that Saudi consumers used social media heavily during the lockdown to find new brands and online stores. The data showed that most consumers who used Instagram were looking for food and beverage (47%) and fashion (48%), while those who used Facebook were looking for games (39%).

Some big brands have also noticed this trend and increased their spending on social media. For example, Nestlé Middle East created an information robot during Ramadan, which made people browse the Nestlé official website 2.9 times longer than other activity periods. As large stores continued to operate during the lockdown, small and medium-sized enterprises were hit. Therefore, local small and medium-sized enterprises also began to use social media to increase brand awareness and sales.

Ramez Shehadi , general manager of Facebook Middle East , said: "People will continue to try different features and services in search of convenience. But for marketers, whether it is live shopping or AR, the ultimate goal is to increase sales, rather than simply using it to cater to the market. "

middle East

Saudi Arabia

E-commerce

live streaming