New age, tech-enabled global consumer engagement companies are making a beeline to the UAE amidst skyrocketing AI adoption for hyper-personalised customer relations and retention strategies by large companies, leading brands and marketers in the region, industry insiders said.
While New York-headquartered Braze and Singapore-headquartered Dyna.Ai have just announced a major expansion into the UAE with offices in Dubai, a couple of companies from India and Europe are learnt to be finalising plans to enter the Gulf market soon.
Global firms seek UAE expansion
A few of the international and regional companies are also in talks with leading UAE companies in sectors such as automobile, retail and realty for striking deals for providing hyper-local, culturally-nuanced customer engagement solutions, as a precursor to their entry plans into the country, industry players said.
“We recently announced the expansion of our global footprint in the Middle East, including establishing a direct presence in Dubai, UAE, with plans to grow local teams and establish an office,” Jon Hyman, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Braze, told Arabian Business.
“Dubai is a burgeoning hub for digital-first organisations seeking cross-channel customer engagement solutions, and Braze has already commenced collaborations with leading brands in the region, such as FIVE Hotels & Resorts, Floward, Majid Al Futtaim, and Noon,” he said.
Thomas Skoumal, Chairman of Dyna Ai, said as a Singapore headquartered company, the Middle East was a natural choice to be the first region for the company’s global expansion.
“The region is not only home to a young, digital-native population, but AI products and solutions are actively being supported by the leadership of countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” he said.
AI is fast transforming the way marketers engage with customers
Industry experts said AI is fast transforming the way marketers engage with customers, using this technology to generate creative ideas, automate repetitive tasks, enhance data analysis, thus optimising strategies in real-time.
Marketers are also increasingly utilising AI-based predictive analytics to run hyper-personalised messaging campaigns for brands.
“Used right, this technology can inspire marketers’ creativity and increase efficiency in delivering more personalised, tailored experiences,” Hyman said.
He also revealed that Braze is also currently in talks with many major brands across the region for collaboration.
“We will be able to share news on new customer partnerships as they happen,” he said.
Skoumal said as AI technology becomes more efficient with voice-based services, products that can adapt to the various Arabic dialects in the Middle East enable businesses, especially in the financial sector, to seamlessly manage customer requirements.
“More importantly, the economic diversification of the UAE – and also Saudi Arabia – markets is extremely inspiring,” Skoumal said, adding this is leading to widespread technological adoption by companies in the sector, providing greater growth opportunities to new age customer engagement companies.
Region facing lack of data skills
Brazes’ Hyman said lack of data skills is an issue which players in the sector could face while expanding in the region.
“Our recent research revealed that while 91 percent of marketers in the UAE are eagerly embracing AI, nearly half (48 percent) identify a lack of data skills as a top-three issue when using data for customer engagement,” he said.
“We must boost the education of data skills, both in our marketing education at university, and in the workplace, as well as making sure AI technology is easy for marketers to integrate into their workflow and solves the real challenges they face today,” Hyman said.
He said companies are increasingly taking to AI-enabled hyper-personalised customer engagement strategies as they are seen to help boost repeat orders, generating additional revenues.
“Brands like Snoonu, Qatar’s fastest food delivery and online shopping marketplace, are already working with Braze to do this,” he said.
Snoonu created a gamified in-app experience that incentivised users to order more, more frequently, driving a 30 percent increase in orders per user, resulting in over a 40 percent increase in revenue.
Hyman said Braze is also continually investing in new and emerging channels to ensure that its customers have access to the channels that matter.
The company is able to support marketers with the tools to truly personalise their messaging through channels such as WhatsApp, which he said is the most popular messaging platform in the world with two billion monthly active users in over 180 countries.
“So, it’s no surprise that, as a channel, it offers marketers the ability to contact their customers on a massive scale and global reach,” Hyman said.
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