MENA consumers are brand-loyal

ERNST & Young’s 2012 MENA Customer Barometer indicates that MENA consumers are amongst the most brand-loyal consumers in the world. About 29% of respondents in Saudi Arabia, 31% in the UAE, 33% in Bahrain, 34% in Jordan and 35% in Oman claimed that brand influences their purchasing decisions. The US and UK registered only 25%.

The report also reveals, however, that consumers are now harder to define, understand, and please than ever before and that MENA brands are facing challenges to adapt to ‘chameleon consumers’, a term used for buyers with conflicting preferences and facets.