REGIONAL ROUND UP - BAHRAIN
Top Retail Trends in the
Middle East Region
Mr. Duaij Khalifa Al Rumaihi is the Mall Director for City Centre Bahrain, the leading shopping and lifestyle destination in the Kingdom of Bahrain. In this role, Duaij oversees the mall’s management team to ensure visitors have memorable experiences when visiting the mall and that strategic partnerships are established with retailers, contractors, third party suppliers, and local authorities.
F
rom the pandemic to supply chain bottlenecks, the retail industry has had its share of challenges in recent months. That is why digital transformation is more important than ever. Those retailers that build a secure, flexible, and app-centric network infrastructure are in position to adapt to the changes, whatever they may be. But retail today is not just about weathering challenges. It is about creating exciting new experiences for customers. Experiences that are seamless and fast whether in-store, at home, or on a mobile device. When we look back, the trends from offline to online retail were already visible. But the pandemic accelerated everything. We know that retail brands are ever-evolving, consumer preferences are shifting, and at City Centre Bahrain, we are adapting to the next wave of digital transformation. Fully in line with this trend, Majid Al Futtaim has a strong vision on the malls of the future.
RETAIL PEOPLE . MAY - JUL 2022
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DUAIJ AL RUMAIHI Mall Director CITY CENTRE BAHRAIN MECS+R BOARD MEMBER
In the Middle East, online retail still accounts for a smaller share of the market, at an estimated 2-3% compared with 1015% in western economies. However, the demand for online retail is growing quickly. The Middle East is home to the youngest population in the world, with 60% of the region’s population aged under 30. With a high youth population and an interconnected region, the Middle East population spends the most time on social media networks. The Covid-19 pandemic has also transformed the way we live our lives, with users in Middle East reporting that they have been spending even more time on social media. Extensive lockdowns have led to changing consumer patterns and a shift to online channels for various activities such as shopping, learning, and socialising. We are seeing consumers focus on online shopping for their groceries, personal care products, and household supplies.
