Dubai - A new study revealed that as much as 71 per cent of UAE residents aged 18-40 are happy to take advice online, before making a purchase.
Published: Tue 23 Aug 2016, 8:43 AM
Last updated: Wed 24 Aug 2016, 8:52 AM
The power of social media influencers and bloggers in the UAE's online platforms may be much more than we estimated it to be.
A new study revealed that as much as 71 per cent of UAE residents aged 18-40 are happy to take advice online from influencers and bloggers, before making a purchase.
The YouGov research, which interviewed 1,000 men and women across the country, showed that beauty, fashion and food are the areas where residents are most likely to turn to leading social media influencers for recommendations.
BPG Cohn & Wolfe PR director for consumer practice Taghreed Oraibi, who managed the research process, said:
"We are working closer than ever with bloggers and influencers and wanted to find out how influential they have become in a country that is more switched on and digital than many all over the world.
"The results have shown that companies now have to take these online influencers seriously and listen to what they have to say. They also have to find creative and engaging ways to work with them to tell their story and reach customers in that vital 18-40 age demographic."
Up to 35 per cent of the respondents said they followed food influencers on Facebook, while 26 per cent followed them on YouTube. Fashion and beauty personalities had a high following on Facebook (32 per cent), while 24 per cent followed them on Instagram.
Style savvy: Fashion and beauty influencers
The most popular fashion and beauty social media influencers among UAE residents are familiar names, among them Huda Kattan (@hudabeauty), Joelle Mardinian ('Maison de Joelle' blog), Ola Alfares (@olaalfares), Lojain Omran (@lojain_omran), and Amina Shelbaya (aminashelbaya.net), with some of them having 'follower' numbers of millions.
The influencer's personal style, beautiful visuals, and ability to inspire other people's fashion and beauty choices were the main factors that got them followers.
Cooking up the numbers: Food choice influencers
Celebrity chefs with a large following included the UAE's own television cooking star Manal Alalem and Osama Al Sayed, in addition to international names like Gordon Ramsay and Sanjeev Kapoor, who were rated as the most trustworthy social influencers, followed by food critics and bloggers like Foodiva and the Food Sheikh, who are also very popular. According to the survey, reviews and listings on Zomato - the restaurant and food finder website and application - also played a major role among UAE residents for making decisions on the hottest new restaurant or dish to try.
Influencers to powerful brand ambassadors
There are currently over 200 listed fashion and beauty social media contacts, and over 200 food-related personalities in the UAE who are classified as bloggers by the Cision Point media database in the UAE.
But as Oraibi noted:
"Today, social media influencers are not necessarily just bloggers who use 'words' on traditional forums or information sites. You now find new terms being used in the industry such as 'Instagrammers', 'YouTubers', and 'SnapChatters' to define those who use a diverse range of different social media tools to influence consumer decisions through content that is often generated as videos, captioned images or graphics."
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
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