JEDDAH – Consumers in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region are among the most brand loyal in the world, Ernst & Young said in its “2012 MENA Customer Barometer" report Tuesday. The survey said 29 percent of respondents in Saudi Arabia, 31 percent in the UAE, 33 percent in Bahrain, 34 percent in Jordan and 35 percent in Oman stated that brand influences their purchasing decision against 25 percent of respondents in the UK and the US. MENA customers want to be active co-creators, not passive consumers, the report noted. Consumers are now harder to define, understand, and please than ever before and Mena brands are facing challenges to adapt to ‘chameleon consumers', according to the survey. The challenge of categorizing consumers is demonstrated by differences in consumer behavior between regions, it said, noting, for example in Jordan, 74 percent of consumers want to pay cash, while in the UAE the figure is just 39 percent. In Bahrain, 21 percent prefer to shop online, while in Lebanon and Jordan the figure is half that, at 10 percent, and in Kuwait it is 12 percent. “Adding to the complexity is the very large number of transient expatriate workers in Mena countries, all with different habits and preferences," it said. Within MENA, the areas where brand affinity is highest are the more “product-driven" environments (food, clothing). Within the typically more “service-driven" environments (banking and insurance), emotional connection with brands is lagging. – SG/Agencies
