Middle East

With a very low tax burden and reforms aimed at the business landscape, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) enjoys economic freedom, although the state’s grip on society continues. Oil production cuts will moderate economic growth in the short term, but…

Smartphone sales in Saudi Arabia have been facing a dip in the post-pandemic landscape, after the boost to electronics sales seen during the era of COVID-19. The top brands in the country, namely Samsung (from United Matbouli Group in KSA) which is…

Despite stubbornly high inflation and a slowdown in the Israeli economy, smartphones is poised to record a modestly improved performance in volume sales terms in 2023. The category has been somewhat insulated from more cautious attitudes to spending…

In-car entertainment is seeing structural declines, as separate navigation systems become defunct. In current times, most new cars, including non-luxury vehicles, come equipped with voice-enabled in-car GPS. Owing to the need for navigation, this…

In-car entertainment in Israel has continued to contract in volume terms in 2023, with all categories set to register negative results in this respect. Demand for these products is in long-term decline, mainly because new mid- and higher-priced cars…

Growth for digital cameras and camcorders continues its downward trajectory, owing to the mass consumer preference for smartphone cameras, coupled with continuous technology upgrades in the newer models of digital cameras pushing up prices.…

Sales of imaging devices in Israel have continued to fall sharply in 2023, with the digital cameras and digital camcorders categories both poised to register double-digit declines in volume terms. Demand for these product types has been shrinking for…

Players appear to be focussing on OLED TVs, with a number of launches from well-known names in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including from brands Samsung, LG, and Haier. Samsung (represented by United Matbouli Group in the KSA) is the leading brand…

While volume sales of televisions in Israel have continued to increase in 2023, growth looks set to be slightly lower than that recorded in 2022. This is partly explained by maturity, comparatively long replacement cycles and the fact that many…

Home cinema and speaker systems are increasingly incorporating wireless technology, as this allows users to connect their devices without the need for cords and cables, thus making it more convenient, flexible, and user-friendly. Such a move is in…