BrazilAmazon consultancy Podean launches in the Middle East
From its Dubai headquarters, Podean will help brands across the Middle East make the most of the world’s biggest ecommerce platform. Branding consultant Paul Hart will lead the new outfit.
Podean is an Amazon-focused global marketplace consultancy that works with brands across the world to build their online commerce profile via advertising, media management and brand performance marketing, among other services. With its global headquarters in New York, the firm has a presence in London, Sydney, and now Dubai.
“We are excited to be launching in the Middle East, a sophisticated consumer market experiencing strong ecommerce growth. The addition of this office further reinforces Podean’s reputation as the leading global Amazon agency network,” said Mark Power, Founder of Podean.
Over 80 brands across the world use Podean’s expertise to milk the ecommerce behemoth, aided by solutions that range from consumer analytics to supply chain management, among others. Retail players in the Middle East will now have close access to these service offerings.
“Podean is uniquely positioned to help brands grow their Amazon revenues in the Middle East, and to support their global ambitions,” added Power.
Striking when its hot
The timing is opportune for a Middle East launch. Podean researched the regional market before launching to find that nearly half of all adults in the UAE use Amazon regularly. While hard to quantify, experts have suggested that Amazon currently holds around 15% of the ecommerce market share in the UAE – aided by its $580 million plus acquisition of major competitor Souq.com back in 2017.
Amazon is leveraging its position to reach well over 200 million consumers spread across the Middle East – long touted as a global bright spot for ecommerce. The region’s ecommerce market grew from $5 billion to $18 billion between 2015 and 2019, with expectations that it will reach close to $22 billion by the end of this year.
While global competitors such as Alibaba and local competitors such as Noon.com and Namshi.com are all looking to build a stronghold in this booming market, Amazon has firmly established its ecommerce dominance. What’s more, the current global circumstances play straight into Amazon’s strengths.
Consumers have moved online due to fear of Covid-19 infection, for everything from groceries to electronics and home appliances. In its pre-launch market research, Podean found these to be the best performing categories for Amazon as well. According to Podean, the new consumer under the Covid-19 paradigm is seeking savings, delivery speed and a vast product range – all of which are right up the Amazon street.
At the helm: Paul Hart
As brands look to use Amazon’s dominant position to build their own prominence, Podean has positioned itself as a knowledgeable partner in this process. Leading these efforts will be Paul Hart – who joins Podean as the firm’s Middle East Managing Director.
A branding consultant with over two decades of professional experience and success, Hart has previously worked with clients across Australia and London, and has spent the last decade and more building a partnership network across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“I am delighted to be joining a dynamic company who are shaking things up in the Amazon services space and running at the speed of Amazon. Through Podean’s global network we are able to provide the experience, expertise, specialist resources, tools and technologies to our MENA clients that no other agency in the region has access to. I cannot wait to drive incremental sales for the many great brands in the Middle East,” said Hart.
