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Hello Reader,
Welcome to the latest edition of GH Pulse – a monthly dive into the changing currents of the eRetail world across India and the GCC.
This November, Black Friday evolved into a region-wide retail moment. In India, brands launched early deals across fashion, electronics and beauty, driving 1.2–1.4x traffic growth, a 150% jump in add-to-carts, and an estimated US $7–8 Bn in GMV over the Black Friday – Cyber Monday (BFCM) window. BFCM also created a new sales peak between Diwali and the New Year, offsetting the drop in sales between these two marquee events. Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities played a defining role, with footwear contributing over 33% of festive-season online sales.
The GCC mirrored this momentum with even stronger purchase intent. Platforms like Amazon.ae, Noon, and Namshi saw significant uplifts across beauty, fragrances, electronics and premium fashion, boosted by region-first merchandising and BNPL adoption from players like Tabby and Tamara. Growth extended beyond Dubai and Riyadh into Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Dammam, reflecting rising digital maturity across the region.
Both markets saw major shifts in platform economics. Amazon India waived referral fees on SKUs below ₹1,000, while GCC platforms pushed cross-border selling, faster delivery and loyalty-linked incentives. Regulatory changes shaped behaviour too: India’s anti-dark-pattern guidelines and GCC’s discount-transparency norms pushed retailers toward cleaner UX and clearer pricing.
A quieter but transformative trend was the rise of AI-led discovery. Tools like ChatGPT’s shopping-research feature signal a shift from search-led browsing to conversational, data-driven decision journeys – making catalogue quality, structured content and reviews foundational. And with December’s gifting wave ahead, brands that invest in supply-chain readiness, catalogue hygiene, regional localisation, and omni-fulfillment are poised to lead the next surge.
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