Saudi businesses better in building customer relationships than global average: survey

Around three-fourth (58 percent) of businesses in Saudi Arabia, compared to the global average of 64 percent, in a survey say they don’t have a strategy in place to strengthen customer relationships, indicating Saudi businesses have a better understanding of what drives their customer devotion.

The survey study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Collinson, surveyed decision makers at companies with revenues exceeding $300 million compares how different businesses perform at planning and delivering their loyalty programs.

The research also reveals an overall disconnect between respondents’ business and loyalty objectives. More than half (57 percent) of loyalty practitioners in the UAE indicate that they do not have a loyalty strategy with clearly defined business objectives and goals.

However, those in Saudi Arabia are a little clearer on their loyalty strategy with that figure reducing to 42 percent, compared to the global figure of 68 percent.

Further, the survey found, a significant 73 percent of decision makers in the UAE and 67 percent in Saudi Arabia say they are planning to increase their investment in their loyalty programs in the next 12 months.

The Middle East’s figures are higher here than the global average which lies at 64 percent. However, for these investments to prove a success, they will need to coincide with clearly defined strategies that are aligned with overarching business objectives.

Inevitably in the modern business landscape, technology is increasingly playing a fundamental role in the efficacy of organizations’ loyalty schemes.

In both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, nearly two out of five (39 percent) respondents admit they fail to integrate loyalty technology with other internal systems. However, the global average is in fact worse at nearly half (46 percent) falling short here.