Middle East

The ongoing economic crisis in 2022 has forced many smokers to abandon imported global cigarette brands as prices have risen steeply, with local brand Cedars the big winner. Low awareness of the harms of smoking means that few smokers have chosen to…

Tobacco remains under pressure in 2022, despite the pandemic coming to an end. Cigarettes continues to see volume decline, while cigars and cigarillos have returned to growth after witnessing decline in 2021. The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020…

While the COVID-19 pandemic did not negatively impact tobacco in 2022, tax-paid cigarettes remain under pressure due to rising taxes, falling income levels and the strong presence of illicit trade. Despite more intense efforts to control smuggling,…

Iraq’s tobacco industry began to struggle for positive volume growth in 2022 despite the rapid growth seen in reduced harm options such as heated tobacco and e-vapour products. In most cases, local smokers are intent on reducing the amount they smoke…

The release of new static consoles from Sony and Microsoft in late 2020 catapulted the popularity of console gaming to new heights in the United Arab Emirates. The impact of pandemic-induced home seclusion continued to drive sales of video game…

Following two years of sales growth during home seclusion, construction was the most dynamic performer within traditional toys and games in 2022, recording double-digit current value growth. Despite an easing of restrictions over the year, consumers…

Both traditional toys and games and video games in the United Arab Emirates performed well in 2022. There was already a large performance gap between video games and traditional toys and games over the review period prior to the emergence of the…

Consumer Types can be a powerful tool to help companies better understand and appeal to their target markets. By going beyond typical demographic-based segmentation, such as age or gender, and grouping consumers based on shared traits and…

In 2022, Gentle Monster and Maison Margiela collaborated to create a fashionable and unique collection of sunglasses, which was launched in the Dubai Mall. This reflects a growing trend of fashion and eyewear players creating partnerships, whereby…

An increasing number of local consumers are looking for specific health benefits when purchasing spectacles beyond correcting certain conditions, such as myopia or presbyopia, including blue light blocking lenses to reduce eye strain and improve…

Despite the worldwide upheaval due to the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, and a deteriorating economic forecast, demand for eyewear in the United Arab Emirates continues to grow in 2023. This expansion continues to be fuelled by heightened…

The growth momentum of contact lenses and solutions in the United Arab Emirates continues in 2023, due to the resumption of travel and leisure activities for residents. The recovery is particularly noticeable in gyms and sporting activities, both…

Consumer Lifestyles offers valuable insights into key consumer attitudes and current thinking, and their impact on purchasing and consumption habits; quantifying behaviours, preferences and motivations and aligning them with broader trends

Consumer Lifestyles offers valuable insights into key consumer attitudes and current thinking, and their impact on purchasing and consumption habits; quantifying behaviours, preferences and motivations and aligning them with broader trends.

Affluent groups are attracted by premium products while low-income expatriates prefer lower-priced offerings. In 2022, most products had fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and benefited from a rising health and wellness trend, largely fuelled…

There is limited demand for sun care in Saudi Arabia, with sun protection accounting for the bulk of retail volume sales. While the local climate is very hot and the sun is strong – the Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the Kingdom –…

Skin care saw a return to growth in retail volume terms in 2021 with this being partly fuelled by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the resumption of economic activities. As consumers started to spend more time outside the home again they had…

Premium beauty and personal care witnessed more dynamic growth in current value terms in 2022 than mass beauty and personal care. There were a number of factors behind this, although one of the major ones was that while mass beauty and personal care…

Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 sales of oral care products in Saudi Arabia had been in decline. This was partly due to the Kingdom’s Saudisation programme which has seen large numbers of foreigners being forced to leave the market with their jobs…

Men’s grooming saw a mixed performance during the pandemic as the Kingdom’s COVID-19 measures impacted the different categories in various ways, both positively and negatively. However, the situation was more stable in 2022 as most of the remaining…