This year, Maktoob Research is launching its Mobile Syndicated Study at the beginning of April. The study will canvass the opinions of 4,000 mobile phone users aged 15 years and older across Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Study will strive to obtain more insights into the Mobile Industry and benchmark it against the findings of the previous years. It includes not only more hot topics (trends), but the questionnaire will also be enriched with qualitative insights from online forums and social networking sites to provide more in-depth findings. 

The resulting data will aim to gauge various topics such as, but not limited to:

- Mobile value added services :internet usage, live television, gaming, social networking

- Smartphones (e.g. Blackberry and iPhone): awareness, consideration, loyalty

-  Satisfaction with service levels of telecom providers

-  Mobile phone brand and handset preferences

-  Influences on choice of telecom provider and mobile handset

Among the KSA findings of the 2009 Mobile Syndicated Study were:

-  With the aggressive introduction of Zain in Saudi’s telecoms market on Aug 2008, Al Jawal took the biggest hit and had a significant drop in the number of subscribers.

-  The strongest points of Zain services as perceived by its subscribers are the availability of recharge cards, network coverage and quality.

-  The popularity of Nokia as the best-selling mobile phone brand in Saudi Arabia still continues. Almost a third of mobile users are not fully familiar with the features available on their mobile phones.

-  For 2 years in a row, the top 2 most important features of a mobile phone are Bluetooth connectivity and camera. Importance of MP3, and WiFi seems to grow in 2008 compared in 2007

- The clamor of mobile phone users for internet connectivity brought the big increase in the number of mobile phones that can connect to the World Wide Web from only 67% in 2007 to three quarters in 2008.

- More and more mobile phone users become interested in watching live TV through their mobile phones from 18% in 2007 to 21% in 2008. Watching live news on mobile phones has been the preference of mobile phone users for 2 years in a row

The 2010 Mobile Syndicated Study can be purchased by sending an email to researchinfo@yahoo-inc.com or to “Sameh Lutfi” Head of Business Development at sameh@yahoo-inc.com

For the very first time, The Research Club is holding an event outside of Europe in Dubai. The format of The Research Club is very simple; it is a free networking event, open to everyone who is involved in the social and market research industry. Attendees are guaranteed a warm welcome in a friendly and informal setting, whilst enjoying complimentary drinks, canapés, sheesha and music.

What: The Research Club for researchers
When: 10th December 2009 from 6.30pm onwards
Where: Radisson Blu, Tamanya Terrace, Dubai Media City
Entry: Complimentary admission by RSVP to info@maktoob-research.com, or 00971-4-3913640 to guarantee your place!

Hope to see you on December 10th at 6.30pm, and don’t forget to RSVP!

I was not familiar with The Research Club until I met the founders, Jonathan Wheeler and John Mackay at the ESOMAR Congress in Montreux. The Research Club is a social event - with the emphasis on social - for everyone who is working in the market research industry.

As you know, these kind of events are not very common in the Middle East, so we thought of expanding and bringing it to Dubai. Take a look at The Research Club website for some more information.

The Dubai version has been scheduled on Thursday, December 10 in Dubai Media City. Drinks, canapés, sheesha and music will be available.

Feedback Market Research Middle East and Africa, Integral - the Insights Specialist Agency part of OmnicomMediaGroup, News Group, and Maktoob Research will be sponsoring this first event. Let us know if you would be interested in sponsoring one of the coming events, as The Research Club Dubai will be taking place once a quarter!

Hope we will be seeing you on Thursday, December 10! An invitation email will be sent out shortly.

Quantitative research methods account for 80% of global research spend, with qualitative research accounting for 14%. The remaining 6% includes desk and secondary research, according to the ESOMAR Industry Report, Global Market Research 2009.

Online research now accounts for 20% of quantitative research spend, which is slightly higher than telephone (18%), face-to-face (12%) and postal (5%).

In order to reflect developments in research methods, two new categories are included in this year’s breakdown: online traffic/audience measurement, representing 1% of global research spend, and automated digital/electronic research with 17%.

The Middle East and North Africa remains the smallest by turnover, with a value of about US$200 million in 2008. The five largest markets generate a turnover approaching two-thirds of the total industry: USA (US$8,866 million), United Kingdom (US$4,154 million), Germany (US$3,334 million), France (US$3,042 million) and Japan (US$1,643 million).

The mobile phone market is constantly evolving with the iterative development of handsets and technology designed to make the mobile the key digital device for the consumer. What we have been researching is how this technology appeals to the audience and specifically how well it integrates with the needs of the MENA region consumer. Can we assume that this market mirrors the rest of the world or are there specific behaviors and needs that operators and manufacturers need to consider?

Value for money

When it comes to buying a new phone sophisticated advertising campaigns and persuasive targeting appear to hold little sway with the consumer. Instead they focus on substantive details namely – what service am I going to get and how much am I going to pay? This is perhaps a reflection of the economic climate where budgets are constrained and where value for money is closely investigated by the consumer.

This holds interesting implications for operators and marketers. If traditional direct marketing fails to make an influential impact on decision-making, what will? The answer perhaps lies in a more viral approach, here peer-to-peer discussion and recommendations are encouraged by use of advertising stimulus.

The personal touch

Brands need to ensure they have both an online and offline presence. We looked at the process that users typically undertake when buying a phone and the general trend seems to be that prior to purchase, consumers will do their research online but they will only commit to purchase in person. Face-to-face interaction is a key part of the purchase process and as a result, brands which do not have a visible presence in the local mall are unlikely to penetrate the market as successfully as those that do.

Nokia for example, have retail outlets in nearly all countries within the MENA region and they are firmly established in the market with the largest customer base. Being able to tangibly interact with the handsets and speak with the advisors allows the consumer to make an informed decision that cannot otherwise be achieved online.

More than just communication

It goes without saying that text and calls form the basis of any mobile phone activity but there are other activities that consumers will and equally will not perform on their phone.

Customization for fun, for example, is a key activity. Users will interact with application and theme stores if it means getting something that they value in return, whether that be a ringtone or a gaming app.

Conversely, using the mobile internet for serious, functional tasks seems to be a step that is hard to conceptualize taking for the general audience. For instance, the idea of mobile banking was unappealing to 70% of the audience that we polled but in contrast, TV programming on the mobile, generated considerable interest and excitement.

What’s on the horizon?

We can see that the mobile is not yet at the core of all digital activity but we should not jump to any conclusions regarding the sophistication of the MENA mobile audience. What we have seen throughout our studies is that consumers are more than aware of developments; they actively research and discuss it and are excited by forthcoming innovations and launches.

The release of new handsets – the Apple 3Gs for example – with their acclaimed user interfaces will open up, and make possible, access to online services that would otherwise be difficult to reach.

The landscape is set to change dramatically in the next few months and our research team will be there to monitor exactly how this shapes up.

AskYourTargetMarket, a U.S. based company, developed software that can not only create surveys, such as SurveyMonkey.com, Zoomerang and many others are already offering, but that can also deploy surveys. The site lets you define your target market demographics, and then, write a survey to distribute to their consumer panel in the U.S.

They are hoping to ‘simplify’ market research for businesses and solutions by offering a comprehensive platform where businesses can both create and deploy surveys.

A close friend pointed me out to this new tool, and tested out one of the beta accounts while I was around. It became very clear that these kind of tools should not be used by people who are not experienced researchers.

Not only were some standard answer categories missing, such as ‘other’, while writing the survey, but the questions were also not formulated in a correct way, although these were not leading, which could be another problem with other potential users. However, this basically means that the results will - without doubt - be biased and completely useless.

I am also wondering how this company can ensure the quality of data? How can control procedures be implemented, such as red herrings, when the user is responsible for writing the survey himself? And what will be the effect of bad surveys on their consumer panel in the U.S.? So many questions are coming to my mind!

But the scary thing is that the majority of people, who are using these free survey development tools, are not realising this…

Today the MENA region consumers are passionate about health like never before. They have become vigorous about looking and feeling good and are convinced that healthy food and beverages can be tools for solving health problems, fighting diseases and boosting the quality of life.

Our Food TrendTracking Report revealed that consumers in the region try constantly to eat healthy natural varieties that contain fewer artificial additives like fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products, honey, seafood, herbs and spices. They usually read the nutritional labels, and are eager to see more healthy food menu items to assure wellness and to stay thin.

In addition the report shows that consumers’ excessive focus on food diets is considered a leading trend in the MENA region as overweight has become an “epidemic”. Thus they seek professional advice and consultation from specialized dietary doctors and/or register in dietary centers that sell prepackaged meals and provide counseling sessions.

The most popular diets in the MENA region are the pre-planned meal programs that are based on ones weight. While the majority of consumers seek diets that make them loose a lot of weight in a short period of time, they are aware that diets that limit portions to a very small size or that exclude certain foods entirely may not be effective over the long term.

This TrendTracking Report also illustrates that even though MENA consumers show high interest towards healthy food, the majority (63%) are not yet aware of organic food and that only (21%) have actually purchased organic produce.

On the other hand, the shift toward convenience food in the region cannot be overlooked along with the lifestyle changes i.e. the pressure of work, time constraints, the changes of the household structures, female participation in the labor force (Not having time for cooking), consumer technology ownership and the desire for new food experiences.

Accordingly, the Food report demonstrates that (76%) of consumers in the region are snacking, (74%) are eating ready-made (easy to make) food and that about half of them grasp fast food daily or at least weekly.

I would like to introduce some new ways for you to stay up-to-date with Maktoob Research. Firstly, we are now firmly on the Twitter bandwagon! If you are an existing Twitter user and wish to receive research news from the Middle East and North Africa, you can now follow us. Our Twitter name is, appropriately, @MaktoobResearch.

Facebook is another social networking community where we set up an official presence some time ago. By becoming a fan of Maktoob Research on Facebook, you will receive regular updates to your Facebook stream. 

I hope you will join us at these sites! If there are other places where you think we should be represented, let us know.

ESOMAR recently came out with an updated industry report that says that global market research revenues increased only 0.4% after taking into account inflation in 2008, while there was a growth rate of 3.9% after adjustment for inflation in 2007. According to the ESOMAR President, the decrease is clearly linked to the economic downturn. This table gives a nice overview:

Looking forward to seeing the global revenue figures of the first half of 2009!

Looking good is and has always been a universal human obsession, especially among women. It drives women to continuously explore beauty aspects that are available in the market with a growing passion and enthusiasm.

Our Female TrendTracking Report revealed that beauty – to many MENA region females – is extremely outwardly driven, reflected in a long list of activities undertaken to be beautiful, like their interest in personal care products, makeup and fashion. Women in the MENA region perceive beauty as a way to reflect their self image, to increase their self esteem, and as an indication of being healthy.

The Female TrendTracking Report shows that females in the region use both ready-made and natural home-made personal care products. Plastic surgeries seem to be considered as common procedures nowadays, especially nose jobs.

Although females are affected by the Arabic celebrity alliance, such as Haifa Wahbi, Nancy Ajram, and Najwa Karam, when it comes to makeup brand marketing, celebrities do not set the makeup trends in the region, as females usually seek advice from professional makeup artists to help them choose what style and colors suit them better.

Even though they show a lot of interest in the world’s fashion trends, being elegant and wearing styles that suit them dominate their fashion purchase preferences. The preferred fashion brands are Zara, followed by Promod. M.A.C. and Max Factor are the top makeup brands. The Body Shop is their best personal care product brand, and finally, Dior heads the fragrance brands.

This TrendTracking report also illustrates that their purchase decision mainly depends on the style of the product (what suits them) (69%), world trends and prices (46% each).

Lastly, during the economic crisis, female consumers in the MENA region seem to be switching more often from high street brands to cheaper brands, are eager to search for cheaper products within the same brand category, and are waiting for seasonal sales and special offers to be able to buy higher priced branded items, like shoes, bags, etc.