When I started my e-commerce business three years ago, I was sure that our special products would stand out naturally. I dismissed market research as unnecessary – a mistake that nearly ruined my entire venture.

Last quarter, a merchant complained that their electronic messaging efforts were generating dismal results with open rates below 8%. After implementing the techniques I'm about to share, their open rates improved to 37% and sales improved by two hundred eighteen percent.

1. Proven local success stories - Not just general case studies, but actual results with Saudi businesses in your specific sector. When I spoke to our current agency, they showed me exactly how they helped a company like ours boost their Riyadh customer base by two hundred fifteen percent in eight months.

I spend at least two hours each Monday examining our competitors':

• Website architecture and navigation
• Articles and content calendar
• Social media activity
• User feedback and assessments
• Keyword approach and rankings

Through comprehensive research for a fashion retailer, we identified that messages delivered between 9-11 PM dramatically surpassed those sent during traditional business hours, producing substantially greater readership.

I presently employ several applications that have substantially enhanced our market intelligence:

• SEO tools to monitor competitors' keyword performance
• Social listening software to monitor rivals' social activity
• Site monitoring tools to track modifications to their online presence
• Email capture to get their marketing communications

1. Regional understanding - This is ESSENTIAL and often disregarded. Saudi consumers engage with completely different approaches than Western audiences. The best digital marketing agency will understand nuances like the importance of Ramadan campaigns, regional preferences across different Saudi cities, and how to engage effectively with the Saudi demographic you're targeting.

Start by mapping ALL your rivals – not just the obvious ones. Throughout our research, we found that our most significant competitor wasn't the famous company we were monitoring, but a emerging startup with an unique strategy.

Not long ago, I witnessed as three similar businesses poured resources into developing their operations on a specific social media platform. Their efforts flopped as the medium turned Find Out More to be a mismatch for our market.

Critical changes included:

• Transparent shipping times for different regions of the Kingdom
• Various shipping choices including same-day delivery in metropolitan areas
• Complete visibility with Arabic notifications
• Adjustable timing for shipments

Successful approaches included:

• Selecting merchandise aligned with Saudi preferences
• Adjusting item information to highlight features significant for Saudi customers
• Special assortments for religious occasions
• Dimension modifications for Saudi expectations

I suggest organizing competitors as:

• Primary competitors (offering nearly identical offerings)
• Peripheral competitors (with partial similarity)
• New threats (new entrants with disruptive potential)

I use a simple spreadsheet to record our competition's rates changes weekly. This recently allowed us to:

• Identify cyclical discount patterns
• Recognize special offer tactics
• Understand their cost structure

Two quarters into business, our sales were underwhelming. It wasn't until I accidentally a comprehensive analysis about our industry that I understood how blind I'd been to the market realities around us.

SearchMasters

• Cost: 6.8K SAR
• Advantages: Excellent reporting