How Sitecore fuels Middle East innovations in digital transformation and CX
Explore how marketing technology innovations are leading the way for new levels of digital innovation post-pandemic
3 minute read
Over the past year, CIOs and CMOs across the Middle East have had to confront the challenges of the pandemic – the shift to remote and hybrid working environments, customers rapidly shifting to ecommerce, and the need for organizations to ramp up digital marketing personalization.
World-class mega events, digital-first banks, and employee-centric mobile platforms are among the most promising marketing technology developments coming out of the Middle East.
Over the past year, CIOs and CMOs across the Middle East have had to confront the challenges of the pandemic – the shift to remote and hybrid working environments, customers rapidly shifting to ecommerce, and the need for organizations to ramp up digital marketing personalization.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic of the past year, many Middle East organizations have readily adopted the shift to remote work and life. For example, a recent YouGov survey commissioned by Sitecore shows that 88% of the IT decision-makers in the region have fundamentally changed their customer experiences in response to the pandemic.
Technology, especially marketing technology, has been a game-changer for the early adopters and innovators across the region. Already, the Middle East has led nationwide digital transformation agendas, especially in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
Middle East CIOs understand the importance of adopting the latest technology, with 83% of the YouGov respondents advancing their marketing stack more in 2020 than in the previous three years. And as Millennial and Gen Z demographics continue to shift to ecommerce – 91% of the region’s customers want to keep buying everything online – the region is seeing new levels of innovation.
Real-time customer experience platforms, optimized content on websites and apps, and leveraging innovations in the cloud, AI, and machine learning to support marketing automation and personalization have all played key roles in stabilizing and growing Middle East businesses.
Already, Sitecore is enabling the next level of customer and employee experiences with the Middle East’s leading public and private sector organizations, such as the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai’s Mashreq Bank, and Saudi Aramco.
- Digital DEWA, the digital arm and as part of the Dubai 10X initiative, has signed an MoU with Sitecore to enhance digital transformation, gain insights on customer digital experiences, analyze customer enquiries, and predict repairs.
- Saudi Aramco’s LIFE is a comprehensive mobile app experience and information marketplace that empowers and engages the people of Aramco, transforming the company’s internal communications.
- Mashreq Bank embarked on an exciting digital transformation journey with a key objective of improving the experience of our customers by offering them superior services, whenever and wherever they need.
At GITEX Technology Week 2021, the Middle East’s largest technology event, which is set to host more than 4,000 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors, Sitecore will be marking its standalone debut under the theme of delivering memorable experiences. During the event, we will showcase our customer success, latest research, and our suite of marketing technology solutions for our target verticals.
While GITEX is a key moment for Sitecore in the Middle East, it’s only one step in our longer journey. Leveraging our record-setting $1.2 billion global investment, and our transformation to provide Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based composable digital experience platform and solutions, we are continuing to view the Middle East as a strategic market moving forward.
In the Middle East, our presence will soon include a new regional headquarters and innovation hub in Dubai, creating more in-country offices that be the core functions for growing and training our channel partner ecosystem.