Recent studies have shown that a large number of youngsters in the Middle East and North Africa show a preference towards brands that help to show their unique character and mark them as distinct from their peers (1). Most studies have focused on teenagers in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and attempted to get and in-depth picture of their behaviour as consumers and their attitudes towards brands.
The consumer behaviour of teenagers in UAE
In the United Arab Emirates teenagers are big spenders (2). Their weekly spending budget is more than double the average of people of a similar age worldwide. 22% of the money they spend was found to be on clothing and the majority of clothing that was opted for was with the intention as marking themselves as different from the pack. The desire to stand out as individuals is surprising in a society such as UAE which is largely conformist and homogenous. Monthly figures show that Teenagers here also spend 8% of their money on consumer electronics, 6% on mobile phones and related services such as ‘topping up’ and accessories, and 2% on cosmetics (3). With easier ways of paying for things online, as well as contactless payments being introduced rapidly to the MENA region (4), it will be interesting to see if consumer habits in the region change. The ease of making small transactions may see the incidence of purchasing lower cost items increase and larger items decrease; however, teenagers will be likely to still use their money to buy things that mark them out as individual.
Teenage spending in Saudi Arabia and Egypt
In Saudi Arabia and Egypt the consumer behaviour of teenagers is similar, although the amount of disposable income they have is less. In Saudi Arabia the money available for 12 to 19 year olds to spend on average is 60% the figure of teenagers in the UAE, whereas in Egypt the figure is closer to just 8%.
The growing value of self-expression in the Middle East and North Africa
Branding, and brand image, are very important in these areas for teenagers. The most popular brands were found to be Pepsi and Adidas. Digital technology is also very important. 70% of those that were surveyed owned a mobile phone and 28% of thse surveyed in the UAE owned a smartphone. When it comes to the internet, Yahoo and Facebook were the most popular websites. An interesting trend was that many teenagers had started a blog to meet their needs for greater self-expression.
MENA Teenagers giving global marketers a wake-up call
The various studies that have been done over the past few years all conclude on one thing – that the spending power of teenagers has been undervalued and underestimated for some time. Teenagers in this area do not only have a significant disposable income but a voracious appetite to spend it on consumer products. However, it is still an emerging market and more studies will need to be done to truly gauge how it really operates and how best to approach it.
One big mistake would be to treat teenagers in the Middle East and North Africa exactly the same as teenagers in the Western world. Teens in the countries and regions mentioned above tend to be more closely tied to their families compared to western teenagers. They also have much closer ties and more respect for culture and religion as compared to young people in other parts of the world. While self expression is certainly in demand, it is within the sensible limits dictated by cultural sensitivities and any change in market activity aimed toward teenagers in this area would need careful consulting beforehand.
Having said that, there is also a great similarity between modern teenagers in all parts of the globe. In terms of future aspirations, technology, and brand awareness they are very much at the top of their game. Their needs to be a balance struck where teenagers can have everything they desire. One great way to continue research into this market is through social media (5). The area is packed with influential bloggers and the content that is written here will have great insight into how to approach these teenagers. They don’t want to offend their families or religion, but at the same time want to stand out from the crowd as an individual. In terms of brand research, Adidas and Pepsi would be the ones to look into.
This is a freelance article from Gemma North