DUBAI // From being followed around by staff to being given the hard sell for items they do not need, consumers have spoken about their biggest annoyances while shopping.
Among the biggest issues was the lack of knowledge some store staff had regarding the products or services they were supposed to be selling.
“It’s pretty common to go into a shop and ask a member of staff about a product and see them just read the side of the box out to you,” said Nadia Farooqi, 35, from Canada.
“It’s very frustrating because you want to get good advice before you buy something and it doesn’t fill you with confidence that you’re getting it.”
Emma Pearce, 31, from the UK, said pressure from shop staff to buy more expensive items was also tiresome.
“It really puts you off from going back if you know all they want to do is sell you the most expensive thing,” she said.
“I’ve also noticed that some staff take it upon themselves to offer other items in addition to what you asked for and just don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
“I’ve got so fed up a few times that I’ve just left the store without buying anything.”
Poor service that people have experienced is increasingly driving them to buy products online.
“I pretty much do all the research on something online and depending on how urgently I need it, I will usually buy it on the internet,” said Abdul Zeman, 27, from Pakistan.
“The only time I go into shops now is if I’ve done the research and it’s quicker to buy it there and then.”
The internet is also a way of sharing bad experiences in shops.
Ankur Gupta, general manager for MetaScale, which provides analysis of big data for well known United States retailers, said this made it crucial for businesses to take customer service seriously.
“It’s vital, because at the end of the day the personal experience a customer has could determine whether they never shop with you again or if they become a loyal lifelong customer,” he said at the Future Retail Summit at the Address Hotel, Dubai Mall, on Tuesday.
“In the old days when someone had a bad experience in a shop they would tell their friends. But now it’s not uncommon for consumers to go to social media and then their experience becomes something that thousands or even millions of people might see.”
Shop workers must also “be able to explain a product or service in a simple way that gets across what it’s about”, he said.
“If that is done, customers are more likely to return and more willing to sign up to other things that you may want to sell them.”
Although the amount of online trade in the UAE has increased significantly in recent years there would always be the need for shops, he said.
“It’s not a case of all shoppers switching to online if they don’t like the customer service – they are far more likely to go to your competitor,” he said.
Mark Johnson, International Retail Operations Head, Landmark Group, said it was crucial for sales staff to have a consumer’s trust.
“The trouble is that the term ‘customer service’ has a different meaning for different companies,” he said.
“Customers are a lot more savvy these days so it’s more important than ever for shop staff to be well-informed and trained.”
nhanif@thenational.ae
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
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6.35pm: Festival City Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Dubai Racing Club Classic – Listed (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 2,410m
7.45pm: Jumeirah Classic Trial – Conditions (TB) $150,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (D) 1,600m
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
The specs
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MATCH INFO
Rajasthan Royals 158-8 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 143/7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals won by 15 runs
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
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