Podean has officially launched in the Middle East with our new regional headquarters in Dubai now operational. Podean is the first independent global Amazon services provider to offer full marketplace marketing solutions to both international and local brands in the region.
With ecommerce growing rapidly in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), Amazon is already the leading player and presents a formidable sales channel for brands that get established early.
Research conducted by Podean in September 2020 found that 45% of United Arab Emirates adults shop regularly on Amazon. The most popular category is food and grocery with 26% of respondents having purchased items in the category over the past month, followed closely by electronics and home appliances with 25%, The research also shows that the benefits consumers value most are best prices, speed of delivery and range of products; all factors that play to Amazon’s strengths.
Podean’s physical presence will equip brands to drive incremental revenues among the region’s combined population of 230 million people across the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. In the UAE alone, ecommerce is expected to grow 30% from 2020 to 2021 and consumer confidence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranks second highest in the world.
Podean will offer brands strategic consulting and holistic Amazon retail and advertising solutions, supported by the company’s global network of experts. Globally Podean boasts more than 80 leading brands as clients who leverage the company’s experience across all categories and facets of marketplace marketing, from retail to analytics, logistics/supply chain, creative, content, voice and media management. The agency will also provide non-endemic brands – that don’t sell physical products in the marketplace – the ability to drive optimal marketing results by leveraging display and video advertising through Amazon’s DSP (demand-side platform).
Founder of Podean, Mark Power, commented: “We are excited to be launching in the Middle East, a sophisticated consumer market experiencing strong ecommerce growth. While the world continues to face uncertainty due to Covid-19, we know that Amazon’s model will meet these changing consumer needs. Our company is uniquely positioned to help brands grow their revenues in the Middle East, and to support their global ambitions. The addition of this office further reinforce Podean’s reputation as the leading global Amazon agency network.”
Podean has appointed Paul Hart as Managing Director MENA, an experienced business leader who has been building partnerships with brands in the region for 13 years. Hart commented “I am delighted to be joining a dynamic company who are shaking things up in the Amazon services space and running at the speed of Amazon. Through Podean’s global network we are able to provide the experience, expertise, specialist resources, tools and technologies to our MENA clients that no other agency in the region has access to. I cannot wait to drive incremental sales for the many great brands in the Middle East.”
Podean will also be launching its proprietary tools including JourneyTM, the first ever Amazon media-mix-modelling and channel planning tool that optimizes investment across all Amazon advertising products. It will also launch ProphetTM, a groundbreaking analysis framework that optimizes brands’ Amazon business beyond just ROAS/ACoS and addresses all critical elements to drive success, from strategy to supply chain through to content and media. The combination of both platforms has seen Podean clients increase revenues by upwards of 40% and profits by 60%.
Podean is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, Sydney, London, Singapore and now, Dubai.