Helping a restaurant chain, we developed a approach where influencers genuinely incorporated products into their daily lives rather than creating obvious advertisements. This approach resulted in response metrics significantly greater than conventional marketing posts.
Essential techniques included:
- Urban-focused segments beyond basic regions
- District-based focusing
- Urban vs. rural variations
- Expatriate concentration areas
- Traveler locations vs. local neighborhoods
In my previous project for ThreeSixty SEO specialists a investment company in Riyadh, we observed that users were consistently selecting the wrong navigation options. Our eye-tracking demonstrated that their focus naturally flowed from right to left, but the primary navigation items were positioned with a left-to-right hierarchy.
Effective strategies included:
- Selecting merchandise appropriate to Saudi expectations
- Modifying product descriptions to highlight characteristics valued by Saudi customers
- Unique selections for religious occasions
- Measurement adjustments for Saudi preferences
Last quarter, a cosmetics company invested 300,000 SAR in standard promotion with minimal results. After shifting just 25% of that investment to social collaborations, they experienced a dramatic improvement in conversions.
- Relocated product visuals to the left area, with product details and buy buttons on the right-hand side
- Adjusted the product gallery to advance from right to left
- Added a custom Arabic text style that maintained readability at various sizes
For a banking institution, we implemented a flexible layout approach that automatically modified navigation, fonts, and layout based on the chosen language, resulting in a forty-two percent growth in user engagement.
After extended periods of implementing standard consumer categories, their enhanced locally-relevant segmentation methodology generated a 241% increase in campaign effectiveness and a one hundred sixty-three percent drop in customer acquisition costs.
- Repositioning action buttons to the right area of forms and interfaces
- Rethinking content prioritization to flow from right to left
- Adjusting clickable components to follow the right-to-left reading pattern
Essential classifications contained:
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Personal vs. group selection methods
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Research intensity degrees
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Value consciousness variations
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Product faithfulness tendencies
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New concept acceptance speeds
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Developed a number display format that managed both Arabic and English digits
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Redesigned data visualizations to progress from right to left
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Used visual indicators that corresponded to Saudi cultural meanings
For a premium company, we implemented a traditional classification strategy that uncovered five distinct traditional categories within their audience. This strategy increased their advertising performance by 178%.
Critical changes included:
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Honest fulfillment projections for various areas of the Kingdom
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Various shipping choices including same-day delivery in metropolitan areas
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Complete visibility with local alerts
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Adjustable timing for deliveries
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Reorganized the form flow to follow right-to-left cognitive patterns
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Developed a Arabic-English input mechanism with smart language toggling
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Improved mobile interactions for right-handed Arabic input
Recently, I was advising a large e-commerce platform that had poured over 200,000 SAR on a impressive website that was converting poorly. The reason? They had merely transformed their English site without accounting for the basic experience variations needed for Arabic users.
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Explicitly mark which language should be used in each form element
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Dynamically switch keyboard layout based on field expectations
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Place input descriptions to the right of their connected inputs
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Ensure that error notifications appear in the same language as the expected input
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Select fonts specially created for Arabic screen reading (like Boutros) rather than conventional print fonts
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Enlarge line spacing by 150-175% for improved readability
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Set right-aligned text (never center-aligned for body text)
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Prevent narrow Arabic typefaces that reduce the unique letter shapes
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Place the most important content in the right upper corner of the page
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Organize content blocks to progress from right to left and top to bottom
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Use heavier visual weight on the right side of balanced designs
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Confirm that indicating icons (such as arrows) point in the correct direction for RTL interfaces
As someone who has developed over 30 Arabic websites in the recent years, I can confirm that applying Western Middle East UX best practices practices to Arabic interfaces fails miserably. The distinctive elements of Arabic language and Saudi user behaviors require a specialized approach.
If you're creating or revamping a website for the Saudi market, I strongly recommend hiring designers who genuinely comprehend the complexities of Arabic user experience rather than merely adapting Western layouts.