Selina Bieber, GoDaddy’s GM for MEA + Turkey, came to BigFive’s MENA Summit (17th February in Dubai) event armed with fresh data showing how the pandemic has impacted the technology use of the MENA region’s small and midsize businesses.
And the bottom line is pretty clear. The post-pandemic world is omnichannel, and businesses are clearly benefitting from the shift.
Here are some highlights from GoDaddy’s 2021 Observatory Survey, which asked MENA entrepreneurs how the pandemic impacted their businesses’ expansion and growth trajectories.
In the UAE, 33% of businesses launched online stores or expanded their online presence.
37% of Saudi entrepreneurs added a new business line and 28% launched an e-store.
In Egypt, 33% of businesses added a new line to their existing business, while 25% started another business or added a side hustle.
Businesses that already had online sales channels saw accelerated growth during the pandemic, with UAE and KSA entrepreneurs seeing 77% growth on average, while in Egypt, the figure was 66%.
“Ecommerce isn’t the cherry on the cake, it’s the new cake,” Bieber said, quoting Jean L’Oreal CEO Paul Ago.