Africa & Middle East Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2022 Update

According to Q1 2022 Social Commerce Survey, social commerce industry in Africa & Middle East is expected to grow by 38.9% on annual basis to reach US$6911.7 million in 2022.

The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 35.0% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$6911.7 million in 2022 to reach US$40695.1 million by 2028.

In Africa and Middle East, the popularity of the social commerce sector has surged significantly over the last few quarters. While the global pandemic has resulted in a growing shift toward online shopping from e-commerce platforms, consumers in large numbers have also started purchasing products through social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, in this region.

Notably, social media platforms that have the contextual relevance and scale to drive product discovery are expected to lead the social commerce market in South Africa. In the United States, Facebook, along with Instagram and Pinterest, have provided consumers with the best product discovery feature and are therefore leading the social commerce market in the country. The same market expansion strategy can be expected from Facebook and Instagram in South Africa.

Facebook recorded the fastest growth in the social commerce space in South Africa

There has been a big rise in the number of consumers shopping through social media platforms in South Africa over the last four to eight quarters. Consequently, payments firms are experiencing a big rise in the number of payments coming to their gateway from social media platforms in the country. Among the various social media platforms that are operational in the social commerce market, Facebook recorded the biggest increase in order volumes and transactions. For instance,

• According to PayFast, the social media platform has experienced an increase of 200% year on year, leading to July 2021, in the payments directed from Facebook to its payment engine in South Africa.

With the firm continuously innovating with its social commerce features and investing in new product development, the publisher expects Facebook to dominate the social commerce sector in South Africa in the near term. However, with other firms also gaining traction among consumers, competition is expected to intensify over the next four to eight quarters. This growing competition among social media platforms will keep supporting the market growth from the short to medium-term perspective in the country.

The smartphone and internet penetration rates are at an all-time high in the United Arab Emirates (the UAE). The country has one of the highest adoption rates globally, with 99% of the total population using one or the other social media platform. This is a clear indication of the increasing amount of time spent by consumers online and their association with various social networking sites. Following this shift in social media consumption and consumer behavior, an increasing number of brands in the UAE are focusing more on online offerings and seamless shopping experiences.

Startups are launching video shopping platforms for social commerce shoppers in the UAE

Amid growing demand from retailers to provide their customers with an innovative online shopping experience in the UAE, startups are launching innovative video shopping platforms. For instance,

• In December 2021, ShopperON launched a video shopping platform in the UAE, which enables individuals to host live streams and stores to create and host their own channels on the platform. Moreover, ShopperON is an interactive marketplace where online shoppers can ask questions, and the host of the live stream can answer the questions with shoppable products showing on the screen.
• The platform allows the consumers to add the shoppable product to their cart without leaving the live streams. Moreover, the platform also provides retailers with a real-time dashboard, thereby enabling them to track their sales in real-time. The platform can also be used by influencers to interact with their followers and earn money through commissions in the UAE.

UAE-based social and conversational commerce platforms are raising funds to expand in other markets

The popularity of social commerce is growing across the GCC region. In the midst of this growing social commerce market, UAE-based social and conversational commerce platforms are looking to expand their presence in the region to gain increasing market share and are consequently raising funding rounds to support their goals. For instance,

• In September 2021, Zbooni, the UAE-based social and conversational platform, announced that the firm had raised the second tranche of US$4.5 million to close its Series A funding round with total funding of US$9.5 million. The funding round came from March Holding and Enterprise Fund, among other global investors. Notably, the firm provides businesses with innovative tools to address the increasing prevalence of social and conversational commerce.

Regional social commerce startups are expanding their presence in Saudi Arabia

The social commerce market is evolving very rapidly in the Middle East, with several startups in the sector driving its growth. As the shopping method continues to grow in prominence among consumers, these startups are expanding rapidly to gain further market share in the region. For instance,

• Dubai-based social commerce startup, Zbooni also has its presence in Saudi Arabia, where it provides brands and retailers with tools to address the growing demand for social commerce. Notably, the firm has an office in Saudi Arabia, where it is witnessing increasing demand for its seller app and web-based tools. In February 2022, the firm also announced that it had launched its product for businesses and retailers in Egypt as it looks to further penetrate and grow its market share in the social commerce space.

The presence of these global and regional social commerce firms in Saudi Arabia is expected to further intensify competition over the next four to eight quarters in the Kingdom. This will keep supporting the growth of the overall market from the short to medium-term perspective in the country.

Big technology players driving social commerce sales growth in Egypt

Several of the big technology and social media platform players, such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, are eyeing a piece of the growing social commerce market globally, including in Egypt. Consequently, all of these players are ramping up their investment to boost social commerce activities through their platforms. This increased investment in the social commerce strategy is driving the growth of the overall market in the country.

With the Egyptian social commerce market expected to record strong growth in the next four to six quarters, the publisher projects these big technology players to further increase their investment in the sector. This will subsequently assist the growth of the overall social commerce industry in the country from the short to medium-term perspective and will also promote further innovation and competition in the Egyptian market.

This tittle is a bundled offering provides detailed 8 reports, covering regional insights along with data centric analysis at regional and country level:

1. Africa & Middle East Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook)
2. Egypt Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook)
3. Israel Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook)
4. Nigeria Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook)
5. Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook)
6. South Africa Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook)
7. Turkey Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook)
8. United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook)

Scope

Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028

• Clothing & Footwear
• Beauty and Personal Care
• Food & Grocery
• Appliances and Electronics
• Home Improvement
• Others

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028

• B2B
• B2C
• C2C

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028

• Mobile
• Desktop

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

• Domestic
• Cross Border

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

• Tier-1 Cities
• Tier-2 Cities
• Tier-3 Cities

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028

• Credit Card
• Debit Card
• Bank Transfer
• Prepaid Card
• Digital & Mobile Wallet
• Other Digital Payment
• Cash

Reasons to buy

• In-depth Understanding of Social Commerce Market Dynamics: Understand market opportunities and key trends along with forecast (2019-2028).
• Insights into Opportunity by end-use sectors - Get market dynamics by end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunity across various end-use sectors.
• Develop Market Specific Strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities to formulate social commerce strategy; assess market specific key trends, drivers, and risks in the industry.