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With eCommerce in the UAE forecast to generate $8 billion in sales by 2025 coupled with the fact that UAE consumers are shopping more via mobile apps, retailers are justifiably doubling down on mobile marketing campaigns. This is according to new data from AppFlyer which showed that between July 2021 and June 2022, UAE organisations spent over AED95.8milliion on mobile marketing. Of this, the majority (58%) was targeted at Android users, with the remaining focused on iOS devices.
AppsFlyer’s analysis also revealed some interesting seasonal fluctuations in allocation of the spend. Most notably, overall app install ad spend peaked in October 2021, as marketers tried to acquire users ahead of the White/Yellow Friday sales period in November. This was followed by a sharp decline of 87% in ad spend until March 2022.
The good news for retailers is that these marketing efforts seem to be translating into increased app revenues. The AppsFlyer data indicated that in the lead up to White/Yellow Friday last year — between September to November 2021 — spending in shopping apps grew 61% on Android and 88% on iOS. Unsurprisingly, this spend peaked in the week leading up to White/Yellow Friday, growing 62% on Android and more than doubling (123%) on iOS.
The importance of the White/Yellow Friday sales period to the UAE’s eCommerce retailers is evidenced in the fact that spending during the period largely outstripped that during the subsequent Ramadan and Summer shopping cycles which this year saw spending in apps increase by a lower, but respectable 26% and 34% on Android and iOS respectively.
“As the data shows, White/Yellow Friday has grown to become the most lucrative period annually for the retail industry, and increasingly, consumers are shopping for these sales on their smartphones,” commented Sue Azari, eCommerce industry lead, AppsFlyer. “With the World Cup also happening this year, there’s a huge opportunity for brands to capitalise on increased demand. The key is to start early, run a mixture of user acquisition and re-engagement campaigns, and look for creative ways to stand apart from the competition.”
