A survey done by PwC Middle East in Qatar has revealed positive consumer sentiment and a growing economy against a backdrop of supply chain disruptions.
In the 2022 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey, the Qatar findings reveal that shoppers in the country are socially aware, localised and globally connected.
The survey revealed that consumers in Qatar have a strong sense of local identity and take pride in supporting their country when buying domestic brands or products.
The survey also found that most shoppers comprised a young demographic that was well-adapted to both in-store and online retail channels. A striking feature of consumers in Qatar, however, was that they were found to be more conscious of environmental and social factors than their peers in other global regions.
Kamal Fayed, deals partner at PwC Middle East in Qatar said, “The Qatar survey findings are a great indication of how younger generations are reacting to a changing retail environment and various key socio-economic factors. These regular pulse surveys will allow us to identify themes and changing behaviours to better understand consumers in Qatar.
“Qatar continues to transform at a rapid pace and organisations are striving for more integrated business and workforce strategies, reinforced by robust strategic planning. This is where consumer trends provide valuable insights on consumers in a country that is taking its place on the global stage.”
Consumers in Qatar who answered the PwC survey have a similar profile as their peers in other Gulf countries. About 90% of the sample group are between 18 and 44 years old, reflecting the country’s young demographic profile, while 73% are fully employed.
In line with attitudes and preferences found among other Middle East consumers, Qatar respondents also are in favour of in-store and online retailers who provide efficient delivery.
The common trend is that they would pay more for locally made products; and take environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues more seriously than the global consumer survey average when buying a brand or product.
An intriguing fact uncovered by the PwC Global Consumer Insights survey is that Qatar (45%) has the third highest proportion of respondents who have used or purchased virtual reality devices or media in the previous six months, only behind China (59%) and India (46%).
Norma Taki, consumer leader at PwC Middle East said, “Consumer habits in Qatar have shown that the country has a young community of socially aware and environmentally considerate shoppers who are increasingly digitally savvy, especially in the retail environment. Our latest findings reveal these traits as key to the consumer industry in Qatar and we look forward to watching these trends develop over the coming pulses and the future implications for suppliers and retailers in the country”.
Employers in Qatar also seemed relatively set on employees working from their main place of work. The survey findings revealed that only 21% of respondents have a hybrid weekly working pattern compared with an average of 33% for the wider Middle East survey, which covered Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE.
This gap suggests that the pandemic may have reshaped Qatar’s employment landscape somewhat less than in neighbouring countries.
In general, consumers in Qatar also appear to be markedly patriotic: 64% of consumers in Qatar are willing to pay more for a product to support their domestic economy, compared with an average of 55% for the Middle East survey.