'Real Opinions’ is a full service market research consultancy with offices in Dubai and beyond.
Why the name 'Real Opinions', you may ask? We wanted a name to show we truly believe in empowering everyday people with the opportunity to have their opinion heard and for our clients to not only hear but for them to understand how to act upon them. We also have a straight forward approach to work and employ industry leading experts and worldwide affiliations.
Here is an infographic of the research we conducted on smartphones and apps back in April 2011 in the Middle East with over n=2000 smartphone users from our online panel. We'd like to thank Research in Motion (BlackBerry) for sponsoring this research to help make it possible.
The 2012 research results will be presented at The Mobile Show in Abu Dhabi from 17th to 18th April 2012, hosted by Terrapinn.
For in-depth information on this research or our ability to conduct research with smartphone users across the Middle East, please contact us: inquiry@real-opinions.com
26th September 2011, Dubai, UAE Real Opinions research results in Middle East with over 2000 Internet users and 250 businesses decision makers.
The latest research by the Dubai based research company Real Opinions suggests that Middle East businesses are ignoring the voices of an estimated 70 million Internet users in the region and hampering the growth of the e-commerce industry.
Just 6% of Middle East Internet users claim to purchase online regularly and this increases to 33% for those who have ever purchased online. There is a potential to grow this to 72% purchasing online with those that want to purchase online for the first time. The research results show that a lack of trust exists for 43% and unsuitable payment options for 36% prevents them from purchasing online.
Of those websites who have set-up online to take payments, there is still room for improvement as 1 in 10 claim they haven’t made a purchase because of poor website design, 17% were not able to process orders after making a decision to purchase and 23% said deliveries are unreliable.
Dan Healy, the CEO of Real Opinions who conducted the research commented, “There is a tremendous opportunity in the Middle East for e-commerce to grow, particularly for UAE businesses to expand their marketplace from 3.5 million in the UAE to over 70 million in the region. There is a demand for more local business to give Internet users the convenience of transacting online and 27% claim they haven’t done so as they haven’t been able to find them online. Much of the transactions being done at the moment are just for airlines, hotels and paying utility bills.”
With Middle East Internet users spending an average of 4 hours online each day, there is also an opportunity for Middle East business to efficiently target and engage with their target audience. Real Opinion’s research with Middle East business decision makers estimates that digital marketing on average will capture 28% of marketing budgets across organisations in the coming 12 months. Despite this claimed investment in digital marketing, 37% still claim their organisation’s usage of digital marketing is poor. Backing this us is 30% claiming that their ability to assess digital marketing ROI is poor and a further 12% actually didn’t know their organisation’s assessment of ROI, questioning the ability of attracting an even greater share of the marketing budget with this lack of understanding on how to do this.
Another question for business to consider is their mix of investment in digital marketing appropriate for their objectives. The most popular digital marketing investment for Middle East businesses is ‘Email marketing’ with 14%. Balancing this up with the opinions of Middle East Internet users, just 20% claim they have ever bought something because of an email they’ve received and 42% reject emails by claiming they will never influence them to buy. The next most popular digital investments were in ‘Website display ads / ad networks’ (13%) and ‘Social media paid for ads’ (11%).
Healy commented, “With 86% of Middle East Internet users claiming they belong to a new generation of Arabic society, the challenge is for Middle East businesses to catch-up with the needs of these new digital natives”.
This research was carried out leading up to ‘The Internet Show’ in Abu Dhabi presented by Terrapinn which includes a free exhibition running on 27th and 28th of September which aims to help businesses to use the Internet better.
Matthew Wallhead, General Manager of Terrapinn added, "The power of digital and social media channels are becoming increasingly powerful ways for businesses of all sizes to communicate with the target audience. With this opportunity comes some major challenges and amongst them is identifying which channels are offering the greatest ROI. Visitors to The Internet Show are looking for solutions and partners who can help them measure the effectiveness of their digital campaign and I am sure they will get the answers they are looking for by engaging with all of the exhibitors at the show. Entrance to the exhibition and 60+ educational seminars is free”.
About Real Opinions Real Opinions is a full-service market research company, specialising in online media, with global and Middle East research expertise and best practice. Based in Dubai with globally, Real Opinions has proven ability to help strategically guide organisations with communication, insight and assess the effectiveness of campaigns.
Real Opinions abides by the codes of conduct from ESOMAR, an international organisation for market research. For more information visit http://www.real-opinions.com
Contact Real Opinions for more information: inquiry@real-opinions.com Read more!
12th July 2011, Dubai, UAE Research results in Middle East with 2,950 respondents. To receive a copy of the full report, register at www.real-opinions.com/research
Real Opinions and , the local investment fund helping to create a sustainable app development industry throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, has announced the findings of a comprehensive study on the current state and growth potential of the MENA region's app industry.
The objective of the research, which was sponsored by Research In Motion (RIM) and conducted by Dubai based market research company , was to examine and highlight the business potential of apps in the Middle East and to directly support the growth and development of the region's app industry.
David Ashford, General Manager , said, "Consumer consumption of Apps in the MENA region is growing at a fantastic rate; however, it is very different to other parts of the world and that's what makes this research so valuable. We need to ensure that the apps that are developed are what people living in this region want to consume, rather than what developers want to build."
"As an investment fund dedicated to the development of the industry, , receives hundreds of proposals for new apps every month. Therefore, it is imperative that we have access to accurate market intelligence to support us make us informed decisions on the projects we back," he concluded.
Conducted as an online survey, in both English (23%) & Arabic (77%), with almost 3,000 respondents, it is the intention of AppsArabia that this data will now be used by app developers to make informed choices when planning and marketing their apps in the region and to develop apps that are culturally relevant.
Dan Healy, CEO of Real Opinions, commented, "We have witnessed the dramatic evolution of the industry and yet there is a lack of information available on users regionally. Together with insight from David Ashford, the General Manager of AppsArabia, and the integral support of Research In Motion to make this a reality, we conducted this research to help fill some of these information gaps. We hope this will both encourage more investment in the industry regionally and helps more local app entrepreneurs and developersto be successful."
Research highlights:
1. 49% of users expect to upgrade in the next 6 months, 70% in the next 12 months. 2. 82% who don't have a want one and 54% expect to get their first one in the next 12 months. 3. 95% of users have apps installed. 4. Smartphone users have an average of 29 apps installed, while 40% have 10 or less. 5. 51% of smartphone users use apps all day long. 6. 73% like downloading apps that make their life easier and 57% are interested in game apps. 7. 82% of smartphone users with apps download at least once a week. 8. On average, smartphone users download 6 apps each month. 9. In the coming 12 months, 53% of all smartphone users claim they will be buying apps (30% said they wouldn't and 17% were not sure) 10. In the coming 12 months, 24% of all smartphone users claim they will spend more than $50 on apps. 11. 58% would trade their usage data and receive targeted advertising in return for free app 12. 52% recommend apps to friends while half as many (26%) give a simple rating score for those they don't know to see. 13. 33% find out about new apps from their friends while most are discovered doing a search on their smartphone (38%). 14. Just 14% would evaluate an app based upon general media coverage. 15. 62% of all smartphone users surveyed in the Middle East prefer apps to be in English while 39% of users who understand Arabic prefer apps to be in English.
About the Research The research was conducted online survey using the Real Opinions online panel throughout the Middle East for 1 week from 6th to 13th April 2011 leading up to the conference ‘Planet of the Apps Arabia’. It was cconducted in both English (23%) & Arabic (77%) with n=2,950 respondents. The 12 month research result trends will be presented at ‘The Mobile Show’ 17-18 April 2012 in Dubai, UAE.
About Real Opinions Real Opinions is a full-service market research company, specialising in online media, with global and Middle East research expertise and best practice. Based in Dubai with consultants in London and Singapore, Real Opinions has proven ability to help strategically guide organisations with communication, insight and assess the effectiveness of campaigns.
Real Opinions is an accredited member of ESOMAR, an international organisation for market research. For more information visit http://www.real-opinions.com
Contact Real Opinions for more information: inquiry@real-opinions.com Read more!
'Real Opinions’ is a full service market research consultancy with offices in Dubai and beyond.
