Gulf Arab E-Business Environment: Localization Strategy Insights

Abstract

The Gulf Arab region, particularly Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), took significant steps toward adopting e-business and is poised to become a significant online marketplace. The region has a number of vital ingredients that could make it an e-commerce powerhouse; however, e-commerce has not reached its full potential. In this article, the authors explore the e-business environment in the Gulf Arab region and shed light on some of the opportunities and challenges that are shaping and restricting e-business infiltration. The article places greater emphasis on the idea of localization and how it may impact consumer behavior and expansion of e-commerce. We argue that by increasing the focus on culturally customized online content by considering country-level cultural, geopolitical, and linguistic factors, this region could be lucrative for companies looking to attract online consumers. � 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.