Start by identifying ALL your rivals – not just the major ones. Throughout our competitive landscape analysis, we found that our most significant competitor wasn't the famous brand we were monitoring, but a recent business with an unique model.
- Locate the most essential content in the top-right section of the screen
- Arrange content blocks to advance from right to left and top to bottom
- Apply more prominent visual importance on the right side of symmetrical layouts
- Ensure that directional icons (such as arrows) direct in the right direction for RTL designs
For a luxury brand, we created a Saudi-specific attribution framework that understood the special buying journey in the Kingdom. This strategy uncovered that their social media expenses were actually delivering two hundred eighty-six percent more returns than earlier assessed.
Not long ago, I observed as three rival companies poured resources into growing their business on a particular social media platform. Their attempts flopped as the medium turned out to be a bad match for our sector.
As someone who has designed over 30 Arabic websites in the recent years, I can assure you that applying Western UX practices to Arabic interfaces falls short. The special features of Arabic text and Saudi user preferences require a completely different approach.
For a shopping business, we implemented a blended strategy that integrated digital innovation with established significance of personal interaction. This strategy enhanced customer satisfaction by one hundred sixty-seven percent while achieving activity optimizations.
For a investment customer, we implemented a content series about generational wealth that included halal investment concepts. This information exceeded their former standard financial advice by over four hundred percent in interaction.
Essential components included:
- Native-speaking creators for both tongues
- Cultural adaptation rather than literal conversion
- Uniform brand voice across dual languages
- Script-optimized search optimization
Important modifications:
- Loyalty duration adjustments for Saudi consumers
- Recommendation worth significance amplifications
- Seasonal spending patterns acknowledgment
- Status-driven acquisitions assessment
I use a basic document to monitor our competitors' pricing modifications weekly. This has enabled us to:
- Discover periodic price reductions
- Recognize special offer tactics
- Understand their value positioning
Surprising findings:
-
Temporary channels outperforming Image networks for certain products
-
Night marketing significantly exceeding daytime initiatives
-
Dynamic content generating better ROI than fixed graphics
-
Smartphone effectiveness outperforming desktop by substantial degrees
-
Explicitly indicate which language should be used in each form element
-
Automatically switch keyboard input based on field requirements
-
Place input descriptions to the right-hand side of their connected inputs
-
Confirm that validation messages appear in the same language as the expected input
Important components:
- Preserving high-touch connections for relationship-building
- Digitalizing administrative functions for efficiency
- Building natural flows between computerized and traditional engagements
- Honoring age-based choices
Successful methods included:
- Market studies with Saudi-specific information
- Executive interviews with prominent Saudi authorities
- Success stories from local projects
- Online seminars addressing Saudi-specific issues
A few weeks ago, I was advising a large e-commerce platform that had poured over 200,000 SAR on a stunning website that was converting poorly. The issue? They had just converted their English site without addressing the basic experience variations needed for Arabic users.
Effective approaches:
-
Collaborating with Saudi technology providers
-
Adapting solutions for local infrastructure
-
Supporting knowledge transfer to regional employees
-
Participating in Kingdom digital programs
-
Shifted product visuals to the left side, with product details and purchase buttons on the right side
-
Changed the image carousel to move from right to left
-
Added a custom Arabic typeface that preserved readability at various scales
During my previous project for a financial services company in Riyadh, we observed that users were repeatedly tapping the wrong navigation elements. Our eye-tracking showed that their eyes naturally moved from right to left, but the main navigation items were placed with a left-to-right importance.
Essential components:
- Extended evaluation stages in Saudi purchase journeys
- Collective input factors in conversion actions
- WhatsApp as a substantial but challenging-to-attribute impact medium
- Physical validation as the final purchase trigger
Two quarters into our launch, our conversions were dismal. It wasn't until I happened to a comprehensive study about our industry that I realized how blind I'd been to the business environment around us.