E-Commerce is growing rapidly in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Last year, 44.6 percent of all orders came from mobile commerce. According to reports, the market will reach a volume of $50 billion by 2028. And in the UAE? It's booming!
In 2022, the UAE became the fastest-growing eCommerce market in the world.
It's a highly competitive area for new eCommerce businesses. Major players like Amazon.ae, Temu.com, Noon.com, and Souq.com are doing huge business. So, how can eCommerce businesses sustain and thrive in a market defined by mobile-first experiences, changing consumer behavior, and marketplace-driven sales? When people do not reach your business, you reach out to them! You advertise and choose the digital advertisement avenues open to you. PPC (Pay-per-click) advertisement is a great way, with Google Ads being a highly successful tool for reaching the target audience (read customers here), brand visibility, and sales.
Before we look into the effectiveness of Google ads for eCommerce in Dubai, let's read a bit about the surge in eCommerce and the reasons for its growth in the UAE.
How UAE became an eCommerce hub in the MENA region
UAE began digitalizing its economy in 2013, and there's been no looking back. It's moving towards a digital economy, offering a fertile ground for new business models running parallel to global transformations. The digital initiatives taken by the UAE government, readiness to embrace new technologies and digital solutions, a digitally aware citizenry, the rise of digital payment options, and the growing expat population have been the main drivers of eCommerce in the UAE.
- Today, the UAE has a very high internet penetration rate (nearly 97%), and most residents own smartphones. Until 2023, 63.65% of web traffic in the UAE came from mobile phones.
- Post-COVID, consumers ordered online due to convenience and as a safe option. There's been an overall 40% increase in people shopping online after the outbreak. In 2024, the UAE stood second only to Saudi Arabia, with orders made online accounting for 60 percent of all sales.
- The changing consumption patterns of tech-savvy millennials, and growing social media users (9.83 million this year), dictate eCommerce trends.
- Evolving shopping habits, purchasing power, and culture of gifting during the festive season in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states boost eCommerce sales.
Understanding the role of PPC advertisement services in Dubai
Coming back to our discussion on Google ads, let's try to understand the logic behind using PPC advertisement services in Dubai for your eCommerce business.
PPC is a digital advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. It’s a way to buy visits to your website or app rather than earning them organically.
As a business owner in Dubai, let's consider a case where you have launched an eCommerce website. And you may have added an app, too. Or you may have decided to start your eCommerce journey with an eCommerce app. That's great. Even if it's a basic eCommerce app with standard functionalities like product listings, shopping cart, and payment gateway integration, and supposing you have roped in a trusted app development company in Dubai, it would cost anywhere around AED 50,000 to AED 100,000, and some 2-3 months of development time.
Now, imagine the challenge when sales and visibility don't meet expectations. How do you kickstart sales? These issues are now new, and you are not alone. Most business owners struggle to stand out in the crowded digital marketplace.
This is where PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, especially Google Ads, comes into play. It's a proven and highly effective strategy for bringing customers to your website and driving measurable results, even if you're starting out.
The Caveat: Not for a moment, should you think we are asking you to abandon SEO, or that it doesn't help your business. In fact, while Google Ads will give you immediate results, if you're patient and continue with SEO efforts, the dividends are huge in the long run, translating into brand identity, sustained traffic and great customer experience.
Choosing Google Ads for your eCommerce in Dubai
For any Google Ads campaign, keywords create a strong foundation. You can use a Google keyword planner to identify your target audience's most relevant and high-intent keywords. Blend the short-tail and long-tail keywords to cover as many search queries as possible to improve the visibility of your ads.
There are many eCommerce businesses in Dubai today, making it a hub of online marketing. In just a few years, in 2029, there will be 7.82 million customers. With changing consumer habits, ease of online shopping, and growth of digital payments, most products, from fashion and jewelry to simple household items, are available online.
Even in the same product category, if you are a business owner or entrepreneur, you keep hearing news and announcements about new eCommerce stores entering the Dubai market.
Even traditional stores with a physical presence are closing down entirely and moving to a new online address or adding a new online address (*an eCommerce site/app) along with the physical identity.
As a result, there's stiff competition for attracting and retaining customers, driving sales, and pressure to create a unique brand identity.
Google's popular advertising platform offers various features that help businesses customize their ads to reach target audiences based on relevant keywords, demographics, and locations. We will talk about it later.
Google Ads and the Google ecosystem
Let's understand Google first and its wide ecosystem. Google isn't just another search engine—it's the global leader in search queries, commanding over 90% of the global search engine market share. Everyone uses it for the most common queries, and the results appearing at the top are usually the ones we settle for. It is processing 99,000 searches each second.
So, being on the top page of Google means you have immediate access to a vast, highly relevant audience with usually high purchase intent. Surprisingly, most online shoppers do not know the difference between organic results and paid ads, as it's on Google.
Consumer trust in Google and its high search volume means people take the word of Google as a fact. This is true for product purchases, as consumers are more likely to use Google than other platforms like Bing to research and read reviews before buying the product.
Running ads in the Google ecosystem means it leverages other powerful Google tools like Google Analytics, Google Shopping, YouTube, and the Google Display Network due to its deep integration to put your business before the right audience who will bring conversions- exactly the win you were looking for. Google's AI finds your best-performing ad format across YouTube, Discover, Search, and more to maximize conversions.
Most businesses use search advertising as a key component of their digital marketing strategies.
We have observed that the CTR is increasing as Google ad pages become more ad-friendly. 1 in 16 people click on a Google search ad.
The ROI factor of Google Ads
You may say, "Alright, I get it. But give me one compelling reason why I shouldn't opt for other platforms". The biggest reason businesses should invest in Google ads is the savings on ROI.
On average, businesses make $2 for every $1 Spent on Google Ads, which means a 100% ROI. Your investment is secured. Let's move ahead. You also, on average, get 5 organic clicks for every ad click, which Google says is 70% as commercially valuable as ad clicks. That takes the return on per dollar spent to 8$.
Did you know that in 2023, 77% of Google's revenue came from ads? Its ad revenue is almost double that of its closest competitor, Facebook, and it's growing.
What does it mean?
This means that Google Ads has been highly successful in driving targeted traffic and delivering on its promise of high returns (*a 5X return is not unbelievable; we did it ourselves).
Google Ads for effective geo-targeting and wooing millennial
What would work for Dubai-based eCommerce businesses? Geo-targeted ads that deliver timely and hyper-localized messages. Google Ads offers some of the best geo-targeting features.
With a high internet penetration rate and smartphone use in Dubai, the growing digitalization, demand for convenience, and mobile commerce have shot up. Dubai's young population is tech-savvy and well-aware and prefers online purchases.
Consequently, online businesses are optimizing their eCommerce websites and apps, and new entrants are adopting a mobile-first approach. More businesses are investing in mobile advertising, and ad experts are devising mobile-friendly ad strategies.
Most of the digital marketing agencies you might reach out to, including us, most likely would recommend Google Ads, though there are others like Facebook, Instagram, and Bing.
Strong Google Ads policy offering a level-playing field
Google has a robust policy for ads. It's no secret that advertisers may use unethical practices, such as making false and misleading claims, bait-and-switch tactics, and inappropriate targeting (like sending manipulative messages to sensitive demographics like children or those with specific health conditions). It's not uncommon. If left unchecked, this can harm consumers' trust and create unevenness in the ad market.
Take these stats: Google blocked 5.5 Billion Ads on its network in 2023. Account suspensions are not uncommon, because Google might see a business as shady. So, as a small business using Google Ads, you can still be assured that you have a level playing field.
Key Google Ads features that drive ROI
Your obvious goal as an eCommerce business is to increase sales. But for that to happen, customers interested in your products or merchandise should visit your website. Identifying your goal is critical to the success of your Google Ads campaign. Partnering with a PPC services agency in Dubai with a fair share of success in generating ROI for clients is a much safer way. They help you choose the most appropriate targeting options and bidding strategies.
1. Search Ads
These are text-based Ads appearing at the top or bottom of Google search results. They are a highly effective way to connect with target users who are actively searching for products your business offers. Since they are about to make a purchase, your products are shown to them, helping them convert instantly. For example, we ran Google Ads for a silver jewelry shop with relevant keywords like "fine silver jewelry in Dubai." Businesses clicked on our Ad and converted.
2. Shopping Ads
These types of Ads are highly effective for eCommerce businesses. A great way to enhance visibility, engagement, and conversion rates at lower CPC (23%) compared to text Ads. Your product images, prices, and descriptions appear directly in the SERPs.
3. Display Ads
Display campaigns help you reach people at a large scale beyond Google.
Google can do this because of its massive network of interconnected websites and apps (typically 35 million) and across other Google-owned properties (YouTube and Gmail), which form the Google Display Network. You can use AI features for Ads. It's effective because businesses can target customers at various levels of their buying stage.
4. Remarketing Campaigns
Acquiring new customers is a must, but what about the customers who have made a purchase even if it's once. They know your brand, so chances of conversion is higher if you appraoch them again. They simply need to be reminded or pushed a little intelligently. The remarketing campaign helps you get new customers (acquisition)who might have visited your website but didn't purchase and get old ones back (retention).
5. Smart Campaigns
Here, you leave most of the management to automation, with AI doing the background work of optimizing bidding, targeting, and real-time adjustments, giving you a campaign with minimal setup requirements and minimum oversight. Your Ads are shown across ad will automatically show to potential customers across Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and Google partner websites.
Why choose Proquantic for your Google Ads campaigns?
Dubai's eCommerce space is highly competitive. Let's say you have some idea of how to run Google Ads, or you may be keen to do it yourself either to manage things better or because you find it "costly" with the overhead expense of paying the PPC agency. The problem is that the Ad platform is sophisticated, and Google keeps making changes in its algorithm.
With the coming of AI, which is challenging traditional search, it's a different scene altogether. Do you have the expertise to manage the campaign and guarantee ROI? It's less likely. In most cases, eCommerce outsource Google Ads campaigns to PPC agencies in Dubai, like ours. Let's take our example and show you why it's a better option.
• Leverage proven expertise
PPC agencies work on campaigns all the time. We work in real-time with diverse clients and industries. The success of a Google Ads campaign depends on the strategy. Our expert digital marketers analyze market dependencies, monitor Google changes, and suggest the best bid strategies to maximize ROI.
• Ability to work with data
Building a campaign takes much more than basic understanding. That's why we come across switch-over cases where eCommerce companies had previously hired freelancers who delivered poorly. Trusted PPC companies in Dubai leverage data, which is key to building robust campaigns. For example, if needed, your Ads expert should be able to use customer relationship management (CRM) data to research your audience. He should have hands-on experience in using Google Ads Data Manager, spot underperforming campaigns, look into SEO scores for your website, and suggest optimization.
• End-to-end management
Sometimes, managing even basic campaigns might be challenging. A good knowledge of keyword research, ad copywriting, bidding strategies, optimization techniques, and budget management is crucial. PPC agencies take care of start-to-end and handle granular tasks like audience segmentation, retargeting, and performance tracking.
• Local knowledge
Being culturally aware is critical for businesses in a kaleidoscopic territory like Dubai. Local cultural preferences and know-how are key to creating compelling ad copies and targeting strategies that resonate with local audiences. Agencies have a fair idea of local keywords around which campaigns are usually created to woo local customers.
• Cost savings
Lastly, based on our market analysis and customer interaction, we have found that letting the PPC agency handle it for you is cost-effective.
Case Study: Boosting ROI for a Dubai-based eCommerce business
We recently delivered 3X ROI for a Dubai-based eCommerce jewelry business. The owner runs a fine silver jewelry business and wanted to drive sales on their eCommerce website, so they consulted us. There are almost 6,000 products. Our team audited the website and did a complete on-page SEO of all product pages with proper content optimization.
Thereafter, we ran Shopping + Search + Retargeting Ads to ensure maximum visibility, engagement, and conversions. In the first month, the business registered a 45% increase in sales within the next two months and a 70% ROI boost. By combining targeted shopping ads and remarketing strategies, we solved their sales problem.
Take the next step with Google Ads
Combining SEO with PPC advertising works best in the overall digital marketing strategy. The key is knowing when to use them. As the eCommerce landscape in Dubai turns competitive, businesses are using Google Ads to drive sales and build brand. Why should you leave yourself out, considering it's a safe bet with proven ROI? All it requires is a solid strategy and clean execution.
