80 percent of shoppers usually watch a video related to the product they want 55 percent of respondents begin hunting for products early-on DUBAI: Google has released a new study, conducted by Ipsos, highlighting the key shopping habits of consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia ahead of this year’s Black Friday — or White Friday as it’s known in the region — shopping season (October to December). The study findings, along with internal insights by Google, were shared with advertisers and industry experts at Google’s superstore pop-up event in Dubai earlier this month. Consumers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among the most excited to search for Black Friday compared to Brazil, the UK, and the US, according to Google’s internal data. The new study by Ipsos explores the key changes in the consumer journey when purchasing during the Black Friday season. “The shopping season has been gaining massive significance in shoppers’ lifestyles in the last couple of years. The pandemic has most definitely increased the relevance of online shopping and pushed retailers to use early promotions to pull holiday sales forward,” Ziad Issa, chief client officer of Ipsos Media, told Arab News. One of the key findings is that consumers are ready to be inspired and are shopping for new brands more than ever before. Online searches are driving retail traffic globally. Every day, 15 percent of Google’s searches are new, creating constant opportunities for trends, products and brands. About 33 percent of shoppers who plan to participate in the sales season do not have anything specific in mind to purchase, and 60 percent in the UAE and Saudi Arabia look for new products and brands when browsing online during the sales season. Both good reviews and deals lead people to consider exploring new options for the first time. The study also found that video plays a crucial role in the consumer journey, both for discovering new products and supporting purchase decisions. 80 percent of shoppers usually watch a video related to the product they wanted. Moreover, one-third of shoppers classify video content as their favorite source of ideas, and two-thirds of them consider video content a way to help them identify what to buy. On YouTube, shoppers are mostly interested in videos that cover product reviews and rankings, or ones related to unboxing or comparing products from different brands. Last year, for instance, searches for “product reviews” on YouTube increased by 2.6 times year on year. Shoppers are keen to make the most out of the Black Friday season, according to the study. The shopping cycle in MENA begins at least two months before Singles’ Day (Nov. 11) as well as Black Friday and extends up to a month after the holidays, said Google. Individuals are keen on making the most of this sales season and finding the products they want to purchase ahead of time with 55 percent starting their search early on and not waiting for the sales dates. Additionally, customers expect the browsing-to-checkout experience to be seamless. About 41 percent prefer to shop both online and in-store during the shopping season and 61 percent expect to find the same deals online as they would in-store. The expectation for a seamless shopping experience extends throughout the purchase journey with search interest for “same-day delivery” and “click-and-collect” growing by 25 percent year on year. Deals and discounts are becoming increasingly important to shoppers, the study found. Shoppers are also looking for more detailed and timely information such as ratings, current deals, discounts for loyalty program members, and stock availability for shipping and pick-up. One of the themes of the holiday season, according to the study, is self-care, especially during Singles’ Day. While 70 percent buy products for themselves during this time, 45 percent are searching for gift ideas for their loved ones. Unsurprisingly, this period is also a busy one for advertisers, who increase their advertising budgets to reach more consumers. “In fact, Ipsos confirms that the online advertising expenditure during the shopping season (Q4 2021) is 1.2x higher than what is witnessed in the months prior to that (Q3 2021),” said Issa. To help retailers, Google recently launched new tools dedicated to their online growth. The Performance Max tool allows retailers to grow online, offline or through omnichannel sales by unlocking all of Google’s ad inventory from a single campaign, and the Grow My Store tool, which is available in Arabic and English, guides local businesses to improve their digital storefront and optimize the online customer experience. FAST FACTS Consumers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among the most excited to search for Black Friday.. 33 percent who plan to participate in the sales season do not have anything specific in mind to purchase 60 percent in the UAE and Saudi Arabia look for new products and brands when browsing online during the sales season. 70 percent buy products for themselves on Singles’ Day. 41 percent prefer to shop both online and in-store during the shopping season. 61 percent expect to find the same deals online as they would in-store.