Sanjay Bhatia, Business Director, Cheil MEAIn today’s fast-moving digital world, customers no longer just appreciate personalisation, but expect it. Whether browsing an online store, streaming content or engaging with a brand on social media, people want seamless, intuitive experiences that feel tailored just for them.
While businesses worldwide have embraced AI driven personalisation, many brands in the Middle East are still at the beginning of this journey. The region is experiencing rapid digital transformation and personalisation is a crucial part of staying ahead of evolving customer expectations.
For many brands, the challenge is not about getting started, but about what comes next. Onboarding a personalisation strategy is just the first step, but keeping it fresh, relevant and adaptive is where true success lies. As global markets explore innovations like predictive personalisation, zero-party data and AI-driven emotional intelligence, the Middle East has a unique opportunity to leap ahead by integrating these advancements into its own approach.
A region on the verge of a personalisation revolution
With one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the world and an increasingly digital-savvy audience, the Middle East is primed for a shift towards hyper-personalised experiences.
From e-commerce and banking to hospitality and entertainment, industries are seeing a growing demand for services that understand customers on a deeper level. Yet, much of the region’s current personalisation efforts rely on basic, rule-based approaches that are related to reacting to customer behaviour rather than anticipating it.
The key to staying ahead is not just collecting more data but understanding and using it in a smarter way. Customers do not just want brands to remember their past purchases. They want meaningful recommendations, proactive solutions and engagement that feels effortless rather than engineered. This shift from reactive to predictive personalisation will be the game-changer for brands looking to lead in the region.
What’s next? Key innovations shaping the future
Moving from reaction to anticipation with predictive personalisation
Many businesses rely on historical data like what a customer browsed last week, what they bought a month ago. While useful, this approach often feels a step behind. Instead of waiting for customers to take action, predictive personalisation uses AI and machine learning to anticipate what they need next.
Imagine a world where brands can proactively adjust offers, recommend products or personalise communication before a customer even realises they want something. Whether it is an online retailer suggesting the perfect addition to a customer’s wardrobe or a financial service nudging someone towards a smarter investment, predictive personalisation transforms engagement from transactional to intuitive.
For the Middle East, where digital adoption is surging, this kind of forward-thinking approach will set brands apart in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Building trust through zero-party data
Privacy is becoming a growing concern and customers are more aware than ever of how their data is being used. With new regulations like Saudi Arabia’s PDPL and the UAE’s Data Protection Law coming into play, brands must rethink their approach to personalisation. Relying on third-party data is no longer a sustainable strategy.
Instead, businesses need to shift towards zero-party data where customers willingly share information in exchange for a better experience. This might be through interactive preference settings, engaging surveys or opt-in recommendations tailored to their interests. When done right, it does not feel like data collection, but a conversation.
By giving customers control over their own personalisation journey, brands build trust and ensure that the experiences they offer are not just relevant, but genuinely welcome. Rather than relying on tracking cookies or hidden algorithms, brands can create transparency-driven, relationship-based personalisation that strengthens long-term loyalty.
Personalisation that feels more human with AI-driven emotional intelligence
A major limitation of traditional personalisation is that it focuses solely on behaviours such as what a customer does, clicks or buys. But real engagement goes beyond transactions. It is about understanding why people make the choices they do.
This is where AI-driven emotional intelligence comes in. By analysing tone, sentiment and even real-time mood indicators, AI can help brands respond in ways that feel genuinely human. Instead of bombarding a customer with promotions when they are browsing casually, brands can tailor their approach based on the context of engagement.
This shift towards emotion-aware personalisation is already making waves in global markets and the Middle East has an opportunity to integrate these innovations in a way that aligns with cultural nuances. Whether in luxury retail, hospitality or financial services, brands that connect with consumers on an emotional level will create deeper, more meaningful relationships that go beyond surface-level interactions.
How Middle Eastern brands can stay ahead
To truly embrace the future of personalisation, brands in the region must go beyond the basics and invest in strategies that make a real difference to their customers. These strategies can include:
- Investing in AI and data-driven adaptability – Moving beyond simple recommendation engines and ensuring that personalisation continuously evolves alongside customer behaviours.
- Redefining data strategies with transparency – Moving away from passive data collection and towards open, trust-based engagements where customers feel in control of their personal data.
- Embedding personalisation into every touchpoint – Rather than isolating personalisation to marketing campaigns, brands must ensure it is integrated across the entire customer journey, from first interaction to long-term retention.
The Middle East is at an exciting crossroads, where digital transformation is not just happening … it is accelerating. Customers are no longer satisfied with generic interactions.
They crave personalisation that feels natural, intuitive and effortless. Brands that can master predictive engagement, privacy-conscious data strategies and emotionally intelligent AI will set themselves apart as leaders in this new era.
The future of personalisation is not about pushing technology onto customers. It is about making experiences so seamless that they feel organic. As businesses in the region take their next steps in digital evolution, the question is not just how they will personalise, but how well they will do it.
Those that get it right will build not just a customer base, but tribes of loyal advocates who return time and again, not because they have to, but because they want to.
By Sanjay Bhatia, Business Director, Cheil MEA
