Introducing European brands in the Middle East market. This is just the beginning.

Are UAE shoppers falling more and more in love with Europe? While the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated a decrease in shopper spending across MENA regions, it has definitely seen an increase in fast fashion shopping behaviours. While MENA shoppers are spending considerably less on luxury fashion, they’re spending most of it on European fast fashion brands. Over the last decade, Arab shoppers specifically became a top-spending clientele at Europe’s luxury boutiques and department stores, and European brands have started taking an interest in the Middle Eastern market, according to Vogue Arabia.

Even though the UAE was always an attractive fashion market to grow in, many European fashion brands have found their way today into the Middle East. A pattern that has been most overlooked in the past, is now very much becoming a reality.

UAE was a region that many Western brands were unfamiliar with on a cultural level, but post COVID-19 behaviour brought a great cultural change. This is because of a number of reasons, first and foremost being that the UAE has the highest social media presence in the world – post pandemic. In 2021, UAE led the way with 91% internet penetration, meaning that most consumers now shop and browse online, meaning that they’re directly affected by Western digital influences. This ranges from Instagram, to European influencers, to political discourse at times, to other Western trends and so on. As digital European trends shape the fashion retail landscape of UAE, Kingpin enters the industry with a B2B portal that aims to bridge the gaps between brands and retailers, international and local.

Kingpin aims to be part of the e-commerce landscape as it evolves, helping retailers as they prepare to tailor their strategies to new patterns of customer demand, working out how to adapt and develop to the new post pandemic norm while achieving maximum impact and building sales. Partnering up with brands that have a strong European presence like Brave Soul, Sockshop, Bread & Boxers, Colmar, Anerkjdt and many more, Kingpin aims to foster integrity and act as a communication hub for both retailers and brands alike.

It has been estimated that more than 50% of European brands already in the UAE are in the process of expanding to surrounding countries through either existing or new franchise partners and digital portals while expanding their digital presence. (Bird & Bird, recent Q&A on Middle East franchising).

The Middle East has thus proven to be very fertile ground for European brands looking to expand. Going digital is definitely the next frontier for Middle East retail and Kingpin has become a large piece of that cake, slowly and steadily becoming the new face of the fashion e-commerce market. Learn more on how you could be removing all retail pain points, improving transactions between brands and maximising the supply chain all from one single portal. Register here.