Last week Snapchat launched a new product called Shoppable AR. It builds on the launch of Sponsored Lenses in late-2015 - which let advertisers create branded filters, bringing product placements to selfies – by making the products shoppable.

Details and Implications:

Accessed by roughly 70 million users per day and typically viewed as a format better geared towards brand experience, the lens update is great for advertisers seeking to connect their brand and demand initiatives.

With mCommerce forecast to be responsible for 18% of all commerce growth in the Western Europe region (Emarketer: Western Europe Retail and Ecommerce update, Jan 2018) it’s crucial for platforms today to provide a seamless shopper experience that meets consumers’ demands for speed, value and convenience, particularly for mobile platforms like Snapchat.

An important feature of the Lens update is that once a user has tapped on the ‘Shop’ button, the user is not removed from the Snapchat experience, but rather the commerce experience is housed within Snapchat.

This is achieved via AMPs (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which cache the landing page and load the product page immediately upon tapping the ‘Shop’ button. With site speed flagged as the biggest barrier to purchase via mCommerce, the obvious benefit is the speed and fluidity of the experience, which will result in the increased likelihood of conversion.

The new product has been successfully trialed with brands from beauty, fashion, auto and entertainment sectors.

To illustrate how important the mobile site experience is for the growth of mCommerce, advertisers need look no further than Google’s initiative to support brands in the development of AMPs and their use within Google Shopping via Showcase Ads. From a Social Commerce point-of-view, this same approach powers the shopping ad integration within Instagram Stories.

Snapchat’s pivot to have an increased focus on commerce is best illustrated by the roaring success of the ‘Air Jordan III Tinker sneakers’ campaign. The Lens for the campaign was geographically targeted around the Staples Centre in LA during the NBA All-Star game and surprised users with a world-lens where they could ‘view’ throwbacks of Jordan taking off from the free-throw line during the dunk contest, kitted of course, in the new Air Jordan, which were available on exclusive release that day. The shoes sold-out within 23 minutes.

Summary:

Snapchat’s launch of ‘Shoppable AR’ is the latest example of digital platforms providing a new kind of distribution outlet and it is a positive move for brands as they consider their e-commerce channel strategy. Social commerce and unique shopping activations create new ways to reach more customers and will continue to be an investment area for a lot of retailers and brands alike. They also show that there is growth opportunity outside of Amazon.

Innovation in connected commerce is still in its infancy but if brands aren’t investing in transforming how media activation and commerce intersect, they will be left behind.

Source:Mindshare

Disrupting the instant messenger arena with integrated lifestyle solutions and a sophisticated AI, Flochat allows users to Chat, Book, Order, and Transact all in one app  

Flochat, an evolved messaging platform allowing users to chat and use popular third-party apps and services to book, order, transact, browse and share content, is now available in the UAE. The app and its AI component, made intelligent through extensive use of machine learning and natural language understanding technologies, is spearheading conversational commerce, offering users a degree of convenience, integration, and easy access to daily service needs. 

Flochat has seen strong traction since launching in October 2017 with over 10,000users secured within the first six months of availability. In the first quarter of 2018, Flochat user activity has grown by 20% month-on-month. Message sharing has also soared, with 200% increase in January 2018, in comparison to December 2017. The majority of users fall between the 25–34 age range, however there has been an increase of downloads amongst younger age brackets in the recent months. 

Flochat is where users can virtually make plans, interact through a unique set of photos and messaging options, utilize a number of services from partners including making food orders on Zomato, booking deals on Groupon, scheduling a ride with Careem or Uber, searching for content on Bing and watching videos with friends on Youtube. More brands are partnering with FLOCHAT and will be announced in Q2 of 2018.

The most popular feature of FLOCHAT is the app’s innovative AI companion Floda. Floda, the resident virtual assistant chatbot, has the power to adopt to user behavior and preferences, identifies user-intent classification and has the ability to switch context. 15% of users interact with Floda by requesting information, bookings and organizing activities. 

Stitch, is another unique feature which is reinventing the selfie. Stitch fuses different selfies together in a single frame to create a fun new way of sharing multiple moods in a single photo. Other popular features of FLOCHAT include EmoGIFS, diverse audio and video filters, unlimited Edit and Delete options on sent messages and Youtube video share on chat with more planned for introduction throughout 2018. 

“We are very excited to have introduced Flochat to consumers in the UAE. This market is at the forefront of harnessing and fostering innovation and with Flochat, we are elevating the standard of what is known as instant messaging and creating a huge habit and behavioral change. Flochat is the disrupter in a segment which has seen little change in the last 8 years and is changing the existing set norms of communication,” commented Zoya Bilgrami, Managing Director of Flochat in UAE.

As one of the top 10 startups voted at STEP Conference 2018, Flochat will be making waves in the messaging world throughout this year which businesses will be watching closely.  

Enterprise Software Company Infor is the Gold Sponsor for 4th annual HR Tech MENA Summit

Speaking to the organizers of the 4th annual HR Tech MENA Summit, Dubai based QnA International, the Enterprise Software Company, Infor commented on the use of new technologies in Human Resource (HR) processes across the MENA region. Of these new technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is capturing the imagination of many, and simultaneously been adopted in various applications in HR, especially in recruitment. 

According to Tarik Taman, VP and General Manager of IMEA, Infor, AI is used to match employees’ skills and interests with vacant positions across the MENA region. “AI is reshaping the way in which organizations manage their workforces and make HR plans for increased productivity, and employee engagement,” he added. Indeed, it is fast becoming essential to match employee interests and not just their skills with vacant positions as younger professionals, or millennials, search for fulfilment and meaning through their jobs. “We are really using science to understand the individual and place the potential employee in the best position within a company or government organization,” Taman commented. 

The utilization of science-backed new technologies is undoubtedly important in today’s working world, which habited by millennials, is seeing a revolution in work-life balance, the meaning of work, and work ethics. “The new generation of workers is ‘remote’ or constantly on the go, therefore the most effective way to interact with them is through technology, be that mobile or self-service applications,” noted Taman. So drastic are the changes in the nature of work that all organizations have to embrace digital transformation and its commensurate networked intelligence if they want to attract the right employees, serve their customers, and compete. However, the use of technology at the workplace should empower the employees by “Giving them ‘anytime, anywhere’ access to high-frequency, high-value activities of the new digital age, bearing in mind that employees have access to, and use, advanced technologies in their daily non-working lives too,” stated Taman.  

“New technologies are streamlining our everyday tasks by optimizing functionalities, and reducing tedious work, technology has long been utilized for efficiency. HR Tech keeps evolving, moving into the realm of increasing and maintaining effectiveness through selecting the right person for the right job, providing secure and timely access along with necessary data. We are thrilled to have an industry leader such as Infor, participate and sponsor at the HR Tech MENA Summit, and look forward to their insights,” commented Sidh N.C, Director, QnA International. 

The Gold Sponsor of the 4th annual HR Tech MENA Summit, Infor, has been involved in the previous editions of the event, both sponsoring and sharing critical insights on the developments of HR Tech. Because of their position as an industry leader in the HR Tech sector, Infor, is well-placed to discuss the way forward while also noting how far the HR sector in the MENA has come. For instance, Taman, noted that performance reviews have evolved from an annualised goal setting and review process to a daily, weekly, or monthly performance support model utilizing all available technologies including mobile phones for feedback in real-time.

The use of HR Tech is not limited to employee recruitment and management, or legacy processes of payroll, it is swiftly moving towards the improvement of employees’ success and engagement. “HR like all divisions within any organization must continuously modernize and innovate processes or risk being left behind. To this end, we are happy to note the increasing acceptances of cloud-based HR solutions which have now passed the early adopter’s phase. Across MENA, the cloud is becoming mainstream and in the next couple of years almost all organizations will be taking advantage of the networked intelligence that only the cloud can provide,” he said. 

The fourth annual HR Tech MENA Summit will be held from 07-08 May 2018 at the Palazzo Versace, Dubai, UAE.

In an increasingly competitive and disjointed brand landscape, where the influence of ‘private label’ and ‘direct’ brands continues to expand, how can established brands best achieve the recognition they need?

Firstly, we need to re-frame the question.  The aim is no longer to achieve recognition alone but to create the INSTANT MEANING to go with it, by immediately evoking relevant (hopefully positive) memories from recent marketing and brand experience, in order to influence the consumer decision at hand.

One way for brands to increase their salience (or ‘mental availability’) is to create brand assets that cue the brand and activate these all important memories.  These brand assets include but are not limited to: Slogans, colours, logos, fonts, sounds, physical cues (packaging, shape of product), characters, celebrity associations and other imagery.

Kantar Millward Brown and BrandZ have developed a unique neuroscience-based methodology for quantifying the strength of assets like these, to understand which are most evocative of a brand and how this compares to competitors. We call the collective strength of these assets a brand’s Brand Imprint.  The best Brand Imprints rely on cueing the brand via ‘System 1’, our inbuilt system for instant and intuitive recognition, which involves fast, habitual decision making, rather than invoking slower more reflective thought via ‘System 2’, where the additional time needed for consideration may ultimately lead to a different decision.

Our extensive study comprised a total of 10,565 consumer interviews across twenty-eight categories, eight markets, covering 228 brands and 1,390 de-branded assets. The analysis showed that brand’s with the strongest individual assets and overall Brand Imprints followed the ‘3 C’s’ to construct them:

1. Clarity – simple, clean, uncomplicated, connected use of colour, design and phrasing.  Strong Brand Imprints often employ a distinctive colour palette to connect, amplify and build a unique and instantly recognisable identity.

2. Consistency – Consistent deployment over time, across channels and products – drawing on heritage where relevant.  Think exposure, exposure, exposure at all touch points and opportunities to embed assets and reinforce recognition.

3. Communication – Reinforcement of relevant brand purpose, principles and messaging.  Think of your assets as potential mini opportunities to invoke reminders of key messages to maximise influence at points of decision making.

Investing the time and budgets needed to establish strong brand assets across all the touch points between a consumer and the brand helps maximise a brand’s impact on decision making.

Written by Martin Guerrieria,Global BrandZ Research Director,Kantar Millward Brown

Conversations around the best way to target women can certainly be divisive. Several recent brandings aimed at female consumers have received pushback for appearing clumsy and patronising, while others have been deemed mere stunts with little intrinsic value. Marketers need to think more strategically beyond cheap tricks, making things pink, or adding female icons to labels to reach women.

But this overt approach to some campaigns might be explained by the fact that Nielsen’s data shows that, across the board, digital campaigns have a much harder time targeting and reaching females. Worryingly, this is particularly true for some huge verticals: shopping, retail and travel. Indicative research shows the same is true for automotive and electronic brands.

Perhaps surprisingly, given perceptions around female behaviors, Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings database shows that in the U.K. shopping and retail campaigns are twice as efficient at reaching males as they are at reaching females (81% targeting accuracy versus 39%) when considering all age and gender targets. The same is true of travel campaigns, while automotive campaigns are almost three times as effective at reaching males than females (16% for females versus 47% for males). Given that women control (or at least influence) the vast majority of household spend decisions, the fact that all of these categories are more effective at targeting men online, ought to be a cause for concern with advertisers and make them question agencies on their approach to this challenge.

Digital is high on the advertising agenda, but the numbers show that women spend less time online than men and, therefore, are harder to reach. Where they can be reached more effectively is through TV. Women are heavier TV viewers than males: using the U.K.’s Broadcasters Audience Research Board TV data, we found that in January of this year, over 57% of women were classified as heavy TV viewers, compared with just over 42% of men. And although more than 50% of U.K. ad spend is likely to be spent on digital this year, TV is still the widest-reaching medium in the country. Brands that advertise during news or political programs tend to have higher cut through for women than men.

Many advertisers and agencies alike see digital as a medium to drive incremental reach against TV. Nielsen’s Total Ad Ratings database illustrates that male-targeted campaigns are more efficient at delivering incremental reach than female-targeted campaigns. For example, in the U.K., only 31% of the digital audience reached with female-targeted campaigns was observed to be incremental to the TV campaign audience, compared with 50% for male-targeted campaigns.

As to where to reach females online, after search, women spend most of their time visiting general interest portals, such as Yahoo and MSN, and member community sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, as well as mass merchandisers like Amazon.

Pet-related, special occasion, and family-related sites are the sites with the highest composition of women; while niche, and certainly not sites that all women will be visiting, advertisers should certainly consider these sites to ensure greatest efficiency in reaching female audiences.

Brands and their agencies need to think about the cleverest ways to leverage technology and harness smart data to ensure campaigns are delivered efficiently and effectively. The importance of first-party data cannot be overstated, and brands should leverage this in conjunction with third-party data sources to make sure they are targeting where women actually are.

Brands also need to think carefully about how they reach and resonate with women in a meaningful way—it’s not a one-size fits all approach. It’s easy to get swept up in thinking that digital is the panacea, but women aren’t just one, monolithic demographic. In the U.S. alone, women make up just over half of the population, and they’re accountable for over $39 trillion dollars. That puts them in charge of 30% of the world’s wealth, and that number is growing. The brands that will succeed in targeting will sidestep marketing tactics that draw on stereotypes and make smart use of data. Those who fail to do so risk losing out on the economic powerhouse that is female spending. 

Written by Kate Slaymaker,Media Analytics Commercial Lead, Nielsen

Airline recognised as the Middle East’s 2018 Leading Airline, Airline Brand, Business Class Airport Lounge and Cabin Crew

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has been recognised at the World Travel Awards Middle East 2018 with four awards - Middle East’s Leading Airline, Middle East’s Leading Airline Brand, Middle East’s Leading Business Class Airport Lounge and Middle East’s Leading Cabin Crew. 

The red carpet ceremony was attended by more than 500 industry leading figures and professionals from across the Middle East. Khalid Al Serkal, Emirates’ District Manager Sharjah received the awards on behalf of the airline.

Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre said: “It is an honour to be recognised by the World Travel Awards Middle East 2018 for our ongoing efforts to continually enhance the customer experience both onboard and on the ground. Taking the top spot in multiple categories is a reflection of the airline’s commitment to operational excellence, outstanding customer service and a focused approach on building the brand.”

Last year, the airline launched product enhancements on its Boeing 777 and A380 aircraft – unveiling its enhanced A380 Onboard Lounge, game-changing Boeing 777-300ER First Class private suites and new Business Class cabin and configuration on its Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. Passengers on Emirates across all cabins can enjoy its award winning in-flight entertainment system ice, with up to 3,500 channels and 20MB complimentary on-board Wi-Fi, as well as regionally inspired meals prepared by award-winning chefs.

Emirates’ state-of-the-art, seven Business Class Lounges at Dubai International Airport Concourses A, B and C – boast a total seat capacity of over 4,500. Concourse B lounges recently completed a US$ 11 million makeover, offering Business Class customers, as well as Platinum and Gold Skywards members  the highest standards of comfort before their flight. The airline also expanded its global network of lounges to 41 dedicated Emirates Lounges in 2017.

Mohammed Tayem becomes the first person from the Middle East to be nominated for the event industry’s highest award

The Middle East Special Event and Exhibition Awards function that will take place on the evening of 23 April at Joharah Ballroom, Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, has already broken new ground by nominating the first person from the Middle East for the prestigious ‘Industry Icon’ award.

Mohammed Tayem, founder and managing director of entourage, the region’s leading marketing and events agency is among the nominated for the most sought-after recognition at the awards function.

The Middle East Special Event and Exhibition Awards is the largest gathering and most important date on the annual calendar of the industry professionals in the region, and brings together the leading talents, ideas and visionaries shaping the industry. The ‘Industry Icon’ recognises a leader in the Middle East events and activation industry who has reached outstanding achievements and contributed greatly to the growth of the industry, success of the business and the events they worked for. Past winners have been celebrated for their lifetime’s contribution to raising industry standards of excellence, innovation and best practices.

Mohammed Tayem has already led entourage to becoming the first marketing and events agency in the top twenty of Dubai SME100, an index for top performing businesses in the region’s commercial hub, managed and administered by Dubai Economic Department – Government of Dubai. The agency has been recognised at Middle East Event Awards over the years, in addition to many other international and regional awards.

Mohammed has represented several prestigious organisations as a board member, including, the International Life Events Association – Middle East chapter and Young Arab Leaders UAE chapter as an executive member.

entourage stages some of the most important events in the region, partnering with the leading entities in government and global brands. Current portfolio includes: Google MENA event calendar including YouTube activations, World Government Summit in support of the Prime Minister’s Office of the UAE and events calendar support for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation (MiSK) in Saudi Arabia.

The new sports vertical on the MyWorld platform will house duFC and offer an array of sports related content including play by play updates and news

du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, has launched an exciting new sports portal, duSports, on its content platform MyWorld. This newest vertical was introduced during the exhilarating du Football Championship (duFC) finals at the Dubai Mall Ice Rink on April 20, 2018 featuring football legends Carles Puyol and Roberto Carlos.

The launch of duSports reinstates du’s commitment to sports in the UAE, and will serve as the new platform for duFC, the home of youth football in the UAE.

“We are launching duSports to further expand our portfolio of content offerings in the UAE and demonstrate our commitment to delivering innovative entertainment across a wide variety of touchpoints,” said Fahad Al Hassawi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Teleco Services,  Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company. “This new portal offers a captivating range of sports related content that only reflects our continued passion and involvement in the UAE’s sports scene throughout the past three years. This is just the beginning, we plan to further enhance and elevate our portfolio of content offerings on du’s MyWorld in the future as part of our content strategic direction towards becoming the 'preferred content distribution channel in the UAE.”

duSports delivers a wide-ranging selection of sports related content, with more than 50 hours of exclusive and premium content related to the World Cup, in addition to all sports related news as well as matches results, play by play updates and news about your favorite sporting activities, for as low as AED2/day. To subscribe, customers should dial *111*11# on their du mobile lines or visit http://myworld.du.ae

The newly expanded My World portal, is a content platform that puts an assortment of entertainment content including music, video on demand, celebrity clubs and sports at du customers’ finger tips.

Launching this portal complements du’s continuous efforts in supporting football in the UAE at grassroots level through its duFC platform. Featuring the UAE Schools Cup and Streets Cups, duFC is the home of youth football in the UAE. duFC is open to boys and girls aged 11 - 18 from across the UAE, and offers them a professional scouting platform to develop the male and female football champions of tomorrow.

A lot has been said about the value of having consumers love your brand. But what does this mean, and how can brand love be achieved?

Is it Love or Like?

The first thing to say is that most consumers do not 'love' brands. At best they like them. Kantar Millward Brown's emotional priming research demonstrates that most brands evoke a mild, instinctive liking, but not a more passionate response.

There are also differences by country and category; for example, in the US, Affinity is strongest for salty snacks and confectionery and weakest for banking and insurance.

Does Affinity matter?

Our global BrandZ™ database reveals a strong correlation between Affinity and brand use. People who buy a brand tend to like it. However, this doesn't tell us whether people are buying the brands they like, or liking the brands they buy. There are brands that buck this trend; some discount brands are purchased but not much liked; and some premium brands are admired more than purchased.

Additional analysis shows that Affinity has an important role in encouraging repeat purchase. Combined data from Kantar WorldPanel and BrandZ shows that people are twice as likely to buy a brand again if they like it to start with.

Brands with higher Affinity than their level of usership would suggest, tend to have a higher Premium Index – the potential to support a higher price.

BrandZ analysis further backs this up; people say they will pay more for a brand they like.

Improving brand Affinity

What steps can be taken to improve Affinity? It seems advertising is a contributing factor to improving brand Affinity. There is a relationship between brand Affinity and great advertising. A brand that has great advertising is likely to be liked. However, analysis of our Link™ advertising database shows that to produce likeable advertising, you don’t necessarily have to produce ads which are enjoyed – ads which convey relevant, different information are also liked.

There are also some brands that are liked which don't have great advertising. A second route to Affinity is to be meaningfully different. Brands that have relatively high Affinity compared with their level of usership, index much more highly on being Different and being Meaningful. Good examples include car brands such as Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes; and tech brands like iPhone and amazon, as well as brands like Pampers and Lavazza.

In summary, levels of love for brands tend to be low, but there are several ways to improve affinity. Higher Affinity is related to use, which results in higher repeat purchase, and can help justify a price premium. Enjoyable advertising can also help build brand Affinity. And, being meaningfully different, and promoting the brand's meaningful difference through advertising can also help.

Written by Dominic Twose, Global Head of Knowledge,Kantar Millward Brown

Food holds a complex place in our lives. It says something about who we are, what we believe and where we come from. 

Food trends mirror our connection with food, how we interact with it, and how the industry adapts to our evolving taste buds: whether it’s the classics being reinvented, or newer experimental concepts becoming the latest craze. With dining out as one of the population’s favourite pastimes, whether foodies or non-foodies, each year sees a whole new range of trends coming and going in the food industry. From poke bowls and frozen yoghurt, to the Peruvian food craze, pitch-black foods and heavily Instagrammable avocado on toast, food trends always make for a delicious journey. 

In celebration of the fifth edition of the Dubai Food Festival, Dubai Tourism along with research by food writer Samantha Wood of impartial restaurant review website FooDiva www.foodiva.net, has compiled the top 10 food trends that have been slowly making their way to the forefront of our hearts and our palates, and are set to make their mark in 2018. 

Here’s presenting the Dubai Food Future: 

 1. HOME GROWN HAVENS 

While the past decade has seen Dubai become home to numerous restaurant concepts created by world-renowned celebrity chefs, the effect of the influx of such high international standards to the region has not only inspired an upsurge in quality across the board but has also led to the rise of native talent in Dubai. Over the past few years, we have seen a steady increase in the number of high-quality home-grown concepts spring up around Dubai. This is only set to continue during 2018, with plenty of exciting new independent establishments under development locally by restaurateurs based in the region. These new businesses are a sign of the ever-evolving and maturing restaurant scene in Dubai, also reflecting one of its greatest assets, which is its diversity. The timing is also just right; diners are increasingly looking for an array of locally developed concepts that are well executed. It’s time for local heroes to flourish, paving the way for a city with unique flavours and options that you won’t find elsewhere. 

 2. THE NEW THIRD WHEEL

More hotels are working with external specialists for restaurant solutions, which can have a whole host of benefits for everyone involved. With an independently operated restaurant, the restaurateurs are the F&B experts, bringing their knowledge and business acumen to the table, while the hotels can focus on rooms and leisure options amongst others. This strategy gives more diversity to a hotel’s F&B offering for in-house guests, residents of the emirate as well as tourists to the city.

 3. THE HIGH-LOW MIX

While high-end luxury will always have its place, gone are the days of superlatives where everything needs to be the biggest, best and most glamorous. Echoing global trends for independent, smaller concepts that do not cut corners on quality, this year we anticipate the further rise of mid-priced licensed restaurants in a casual setting. Increasingly there is a realisation that one doesn’t need to always pay top dirham to enjoy great quality in an enjoyable setting – affordability is a key decision-making factor when dining out this year. As a result, we foresee that high-end licensed restaurants will be reserved for special occasions. The ever-growing and increasingly urbanised population of residents, as well as visitors will seek out a more informal setting for casual outings - without wanting to sacrifice on quality.

 4. BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

With affordability a key decision-making factor when dining out, residents and visitors are looking for more bang for their buck. The success of culinary promotions has steadily grown over the years, and with developments in technology it is getting easier to give added value dining option to foodies. If it’s not through an app, clever F&B promotions can do the same job, allowing more people to try a greater range of choices within the city’s vast dining sphere. For example, the very popular Dubai Restaurant Week, which is part of Dubai Food Festival gave people the chance to dine at the city’s finest restaurants at irresistible prices. 

 5. THE ARABIAN FUSION

We’ve seen the rise and fall of interest in different types of cuisine, from Peruvian to Balkan and everything in between. In the year ahead, we’re anticipating an increase in the number of both traditional and modern Middle Eastern and North African restaurants, with regional flavours becoming more of a cuisine of choice in Dubai. With homegrown concepts gaining popularity, we will begin to see more Arabian flavours and spices infused into European and Asian cuisines, giving our city its own unique fusion flavour reflective of our cosmopolitan population. 

 6. MICRO-DISTRICTS

With the evolution that occurs in any growing city, Dubai has blossomed into an emirate with plenty of character across many of its neighbourhoods. Whether JLT, Barsha, or Business Bay, each of these micro-districts comes with its own identity and a plethora of cafes and small eateries spanning every cuisine under the sun. Many “hidden gems” are also cropping up in these newly-developed areas, making them even more covetable places to visit. 

 7. EXPERIENTIAL DINING

With people becoming ever more conscious of how they spend their free time, diners are now seeking something beyond a traditional restaurant experience. Pop-ups and supper clubs; local and global guest chef appearances at Dubai restaurants; cooking classes paired with a meal; or even live entertainment weaved into the dining experience are all now part of the scope when enjoying an evening out, making it more of an occasion, than a simple meal. Restaurant tours, street food tours, as well as food events like Dubai Food Festival are also making dining more experiential and we see these growing ever more popular in the year ahead.

 8. FEED ON THE GO

One of the key signs of any growing city is that its residents get busier. Convenience and affordability go hand-in-hand here, and whether you’re looking at takeaways or food deliveries, options offering the chance to save time and hassle are growing at an exponential rate. A multitude of apps deliver restaurant-quality food straight to your home, in an impressively quick time frame. We have also seen a rise in meal plans, chef-for-hire services and domestic caterers.

 9. KEEP IT LOCAL

What began as a niche option for those in the know, the farmer’s market scene has steadily grown over the last few years, offering local and sustainable produce to both consumers and trade. Hydroponic vertical farming for micro herbs is also present here, with plans for growth. Local and regional fish and seafood are easily available at the newly revamped Waterfront Market and Umm Suqeim Fishing Harbour. The UAE even boasts its own oyster farm in Dibba Bay that supplies restaurants in Dubai. Dubai-based artisan producers are on the rise, creating original options for everything from coffee, honey, and tea, to chocolate and cheese. This shift towards keeping things as local and sustainable as possible has also seen both restaurants and consumers minimising food wastage a greater priority. 

 10. HEALTH IS WEALTH

People are demanding healthier food both at home, as well as when dining out, with an upswing in the number of health-focused food trends and the demand for more suitable and specialised options. We will continue to see more interest in vegetarian and vegan dishes, while flexitarianism is also on the rise. Consumers are seeking more gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo and low-carb options. Among the key dietary regimes for the year ahead is gut-friendly foods that encourage positive gut health such as probiotics, prebiotics, fermented foods, activated charcoal, turmeric and cumin.