The report highlights the intensifying competition overseas brands pose to local eCommerce retailers, which saw their own UA investments shrink. This likely reflects a mix of budget reallocations, mounting competitive pressure, and market consolidation. However, AppsFlyer experts note that home-grown players still have an opportunity to grow, provided they adopt clearer strategies and embrace performance-driven, localised campaigns.

iOS shows breakout growth and lower fraud rates

The report underscores how iOS is entering a breakout phase in the UAE. While by the end of this year, Android app installs are projected to grow 713% since 2017, iOS is surging to over 1383% over the same period, with installs expected to more than double year-on-year in 2025. iOS has also seen a marked improvement in fraud prevention, with fraud rates dropping 63% year-on-year in H1 2025. By contrast Android’s fraud rate jumped 234% in the same period. This suggests iOS is becoming an increasingly attractive, and safer, channel for marketers, even as Android remains critical for scale.

UA spend dips overall despite strong early-year performance

Despite the UAE’s advanced mobile ecosystem, with smartphone penetration at 97% and average daily mobile internet use exceeding four hours, UA ad spending by eCommerce apps declined in H1 2025. Android UA spend fell 21% compared to the same period in 2024, while iOS spending was down just 6%, reflecting its relative resilience. Yet, H1 2025 still delivered the largest half-year remarketing spend to date, with Q1 alone tripling Q1 2024 levels — a clear sign of the impact of seasonal spikes during Ramadan and major retail events.

The launch was announced at an exclusive breakfast seminar in Dubai attended by over 200 senior marketers and business leaders. Timed to welcome the region back from the Eid break, the event spotlighted the urgent need for MENA brands to future-proof their growth by becoming China-ready.

The key focus of the Deric’s presentation in the breakfast series highlighted cultural nuisances including:

• Cultural Trendspotting: From viral codes like “显眼包 (Xian Yan Bao)”, “City 不 City” to “班味 (Ban Wei)”
• Real-World Case Studies: Including Qatar Tourism’s and Huawei cultural localisation strategy

China Meets MENA: A High-Stakes Growth Opportunity

With 862,400 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), 140 million outbound travellers projected in 2024, and USD $57 billion in luxury spending, China represents one of the world’s most influential and complex markets.

As the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deepens strategic partnerships between China and the Middle East, the region is witnessing a surge in affluent Chinese travellers, investors, and business decision-makers. Yet many MENA brands remain underprepared to capitalise on this opportunity.

Key barriers highlighted include:

• Lack of visibility on Chinese platforms like Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Petal Ads
• Generic messaging that fails to resonate with China’s culture-led consumer base
• Outdated marketing attribution models that ignore multi-touch journeys across platforms

Introducing the Global Knowledge Hub: Built for Action, Backed by Intelligence

Powered by EternityX’s ID Space DMP and the Power of Three—PilotX, NaviX, and MediaX – the Global Knowledge Hub gives brands the tools to move from insight to execution:

• Digital Platform Playbooks: Including Xiaohongshu, WeChat, Douyin, Alipay, Petal Ads
• Audience Deep Dives: HNWIs, Gen Z travellers, outbound tourists, digital expats

Made in partnership with the International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai, the record-breaking fortune cookie weighs 2.286 kilograms, measures 30 cm in height and 58 cm in length and was crafted by a team of baking and patisserie program instructors.

As part of the celebrations, Dragon Mart also unveiled a monumental fortune cookie sculpture in the Main Hall. Modelled to be a larger-than-life version of the record-breaking fortune cookie, the stunning centrepiece stands 4 metres tall and 6 metres wide, serving as both a tribute to Chinese culture and a commemoration of two decades of the mall’s remarkable success in the UAE.

The Chinese mall invites shoppers to participate in an exciting fortune cookie treasure hunt. Twenty fortune cookies, each filled with surprises, will be hidden across Dragon Mart, with clues shared on social media until 8 January 2025. Participants will have the chance to win exclusive products from Dragon Mart.

The celebrations will also feature a vibrant lineup of activities celebrating Chinese cultural heritage:

Guests will be mesmerized by the lively Ribbon Dance, where performers elegantly twirl long, flowing ribbons to create mesmerising visual patterns. This dynamic display, symbolising joy and freedom, is set to be a standout highlight of the celebrations.

The traditional Chinese fan dance, a cherished element of China’s cultural heritage for over two thousand years, will also be featured. As one of the oldest forms of folk dance, the Fan Dance carries profound cultural significance and remains highly revered.

Adding to the festivities, a traditional Dragon Dance will bring this legendary creature to life, with performers skillfully mimicking its movements in an elaborate and striking costume.

A Chinese Bag Calligraphy demonstration, showcasing the artistry and elegance of brushwork. Families can also participate in workshops with their little ones to create intricate Chinese lanterns from 23 to 28 December, while a photobooth offers visitors the chance to capture memories in traditional Chinese attire.

Entertainment will run daily from 20 to 24 December, with all activities scheduled between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. Dragon Mart’s 20th-anniversary celebrations will continue until 12 January, featuring the giant fortune cookie installation as a must-see attraction for visitors of all ages.

As one of Dubai’s landmark shopping centers, Dragon Mart invites everyone to participate in the celebration, find their fortune, and witness a historic world record.

In image above: Richard Nicoll, Chief Strategy Director at Liquid Retail

But in the wake of Beijing’s decision to relax border restrictions – allowing Chinese citizens to once again travel freely to more than 80 worldwide destinations – many global markets are eagerly anticipating the return of affluent visitors from Asia’s biggest economy. Before Covid-19, Chinese travelers topped the international league tables for spending. According to data from Colliers International, total outbound expenditure hit $277 billion in 2018, with the average spend in the UAE sitting at a healthy $1,459 per capita

The UAE welcomed nearly a million inbound visitors from China in 2019. They represented an important and much-welcomed segment and with this lucrative source market reopening its borders just weeks ahead of Chinese New Year, retailers and brands across the UAE  are waiting with bated breath to welcome these shoppers back and offer them the best in-store.

Historically, Chinese tourists have tended to spend most in Dubai. In fact, before the pandemic, approximately one-quarter of luxury goods sold in the Mall of the Emirates was purchased by Chinese tourists. Retailers across the UAE will no doubt be looking to pick up where they left off.

Fortunately, the Gulf nation is well placed to cater to renewed demand from China. Its world-famous malls and shopping centres are home to some of the most popular high-end brands on the planet. These are exactly the types of offerings likely to appeal to Chinese consumers on their return to the Emirates, which may go some way to explaining why Statista believes revenue within the UAE’s luxury goods segment will reach almost $2.8 billion this year.

The final countdown

The Year of the Rabbit will commence on 22 January 2023, symbolizing longevity, peace, and prosperity within Chinese culture. UAE retailers will certainly be hoping that the latter proves accurate as they look to entice returning visitors with a range of tailored offerings.

Chinese New Year will be marked by a variety of events across the Emirates. Dubai initiated the festivities through its ‘Grand Parade’ earlier this month, with the help of approximately 2,500 Chinese residents, musicians, and dancers in traditional lion and dragon costumes. Indeed, Expo City Dubai hosted thousands of revelers as they gathered to mark Xiaonian, or ‘Little New Year’, ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations on 22 January.

Within the realm of retail, the Chinese New Year will also coincide with Dubai Shopping Festival, which many hope will offer the ideal launchpad for the months ahead.

A climate of optimism

In 2020, Chinese consumers contributed an eye-watering $12.29 billion to the worldwide luxury goods market – a figure that appears even more impressive given it was registered at the height of the global pandemic. And while the constraints imposed by Covid-19 will have led to some uncertainty in outbound Chinese, it seems likely that many will relish the opportunity to return to UAE outlets in person. With this in mind, expect to see retailers across the Emirates roll out product offerings and sales tailored to the preferences of Chinese consumers.

Retailers and brands looking to capitalize on the potential uplift in sales over CNY should make Chinese shoppers feel at home by using China-specific, language, utilizing China-preferred social platforms such as WeChat for influencer programs, and deploying more personalized marketing strategies as well as supplementing their UAE-specific ranges with the premium and in-demand Western products that this segment has been missing out on at home.

So, while CNY 2023 is certainly a tantalizing short-term prospect for brands and vendors in the Emirates, market commentators are expecting the strongest influx to materialize towards the end of the year. Consequently, retailers that wish to capitalize on the re-emergence of this much-missed source market must run sustained campaigns far beyond 22 January.

Following a lengthy absence from the international stage, inbound visitors from China will be looking forward to the types of world-class shopping experiences only the Emirates can deliver. Retailers that capitalize on this renewed appetite could well find that 2023 proves to be a proverbial rabbit’s foot for their businesses.

1. USA
2. Japan
3. China
4. South Korea
5. UK

US to Account for 35% of Ad Fraud Losses in 2022

The new study, Digital Advertising Fraud: Key Trends, Competitor Landscape & Market Forecasts 2022-2026, found that those advertising in the US will potentially suffer the most in financial loss due to fraudulent activity, with total losses in the US expected to surpass $23 billion in 2022. 

The US represents the largest market for digital advertising spend, with high levels of Internet penetration and elevated mobile app and browser usage presenting strong opportunities for the display of promotional content. 

Research author Scarlett Woodford remarked: “With the US representing such a significant market in terms of advertising spend, campaigns in North America will undoubtedly attract the attention of fraudulent players. This will lead to unprecedented innovation in fraud tactics within the US, with advertisers demonstrating a greater requirement for fraud detection and mitigation services.” 
 
Fraud Detection & Mitigation Key to Tackling Fraud

In response to the rising threat of ad fraud, the report urges digital advertisers targeting these five markets to form strategic partnerships with ad fraud detection and prevention vendors capable of distinguishing between valid and fraudulent advertising traffic that provides no return on ad spend.

It found that the most successful ad fraud detection tools will harness machine learning algorithms to compare advertising traffic with previously observed, verifiable baseline data. As a result, the report urges advertisers to adopt fraud and mitigation solutions to maximize return on ad spend through the earlier detection of new fraud tactics.

For more insights, download Juniper's free whitepaper: Top Five Ad Fraud Hotspots to Watch in 2022

The video was posted on Mercedes-Benz’s official Weibo account on Saturday and later removed due to public backlash, the Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper said. “The makeup of the female model looked like slanted eyes and once again aroused a heated discussion from netizens with many blaming that the makeup reflects Western stereotypes about Asian people,” the paper said Tuesday.

This episode makes the automobile giant the latest target of consumer nationalism in China. In recent news, Chinese social media platforms erupted over allegations that Walmart Inc. had stopped selling items from Xinjiang at its Sam’s Club grocery stores in the Asian nation. Christian Dior SE stopped using a photo of a model in November that state media said was “smearing Asian women.”  

Chinese internet users have recently been debating the way that models' eyes are shown in advertising. The Chinese company Three Squirrels Inc. recently apologized for ads featuring model Cai Niang Niang wearing makeup that accentuated the slant of her eyes, the South China Morning Post reported.

Amid the backlash, the model hit back on the Twitter-like Weibo service, saying: "With small eyes, am I not Chinese? I totally agree with patriotism. However, creating big problems out of normal matters has become a morbid obsession."

According to the report; DAN predicts a growth of 3.9% for 2020, a higher rate than the 3% observed in 2019, but a sharp revision from the 6.9% the network previously predicted. Mobile will continue to be the growth driver as it accumulates almost 77.5% share of total digital advertising spend. This will only continue to grow with the expansion of 5g.

During the lockdown, consumers took to e-commerce platforms to make essential purchases – heavily influencing its growth. The revised forecasts expect the sector to capture a share of 42.4% of all digital ad spend in 2020.

As other countries including the region continue combatting the virus, uncertainty prevails as to what will be the state of the MENA advertising market in the months to come. Will there be a revision of forecasts here as well? Communicate got in touch with Anouk Bondroit, managing director at Vizeum MENA, to help get a clearer picture of the situation.

Will there need to be a revision in the forecast for ad spending in the MENA market as well?

We expect there to be a marked decrease in forecasted spends for 2020. The main influence on how significant this decrease will be is whether planned Ramadan activities will go ahead or not. Ramadan is a key sales and advertising period in our region, particularly for the automotive category, so if the situation continues- this will heavily impact spends.

What measures can we adopt to better prepare ourselves in the current climate?

Contingency and scenario planning are fundamental to preparations. We must collaborate closely with our clients and media partners to find workable solutions. Despite many of us working from home, ensuring our teams are working together with no silos to deliver on workstreams is vital.

Will mobile and e-commerce experience the same boost as it did in the Chinese market during the crisis?

We are already seeing this happening. E-commerce enabled brands are better equipped to continue pushing campaigns live. However, brands need to consider whether they want to be actively present during the peak of this crisis.

From a wider perspective, what are the key things we should take away from this crisis to better prepare ourselves for the future?

The safety of our people is the number one priority and having reliable business continuity plans, that enable us to do our jobs is vital. Looking at how businesses are handling the situation has brought to light how prepared or not, we all really are. We have a good IT infrastructure and agile working culture in place, so the impact has not been too significant on our business.

Personally, this has shown me that we all have the ability to adapt fast to a crisis situation and the digital world has geared us towards this. We are all working as one team, across borders, sharing and learning from each other. I look forward to our office, country, and the world coming back together after this time apart as we celebrate turning all of our digital connections into face to face.

Invasion or Soqor Al Arab, is an Arabic language mobile game that has been launched in 2016. Since then, it has driven over 5 million registered users. Likewise, Salah Al Din which is the first IP game, has found fame. The game is  based on the historical TV series Salah Al Din- a famous series in the Arab world.

But the person behind these creations is not from the region. He is Baker Ma, the founder and CEO of MENA Mobile who is a fluent Arabic speaker but from China.

“Our games are successful here [MENA] because we created and designed them based on the culture and the social rules of this region,” Ma told Communicate. He added that creating an influence within the market happens by “learning and familiarizing” with the locality.  

Over time, more companies have come to the realization for the urgency of localizing content in the region, to be able to connect with customers. 

MENA Mobile is seen as a prime example for these companies as they have implemented localization through: characterization of the language, stories, background, music and the characters as per the cultural setting and heritage of the MENA region.

Having quite an extensive knowledge about the regional market, Ma believes that their strength is in their familiarity with the place. He said that he recognized the need for more Arabic language content in the region, hence he was able to  find success by developing what was needed to fill those needs. 

With his knowledge about MENA, Ma said he wants to help other Chinese companies establish basis within the region by educating them on the psychology of the Arab users. “Other Chinese companies face problems because they have zero knowledge about this region very specific lifestyle,” he added.

Having found its ground within the Middle East market, Ma said he has no plans to expand to other regions in the world.”My knowledge is the Middle East. So I’ll do my business in this region.”

The AI expert and bestselling author of ‘The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity’ argues that executives need to get a better understanding of the technology to take full advantage of it. She explained that there are only nine companies in the world that effectively have the lion share of patents. Those firms are well capitalised and are effectively building out the frameworks for the future.

The nine companies are China’s Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, as well as US-based Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, IBM and Apple.

“The 9 drivers are not interoperable,” she told her audience. She added that the challenge is that leaders from government and businesses often lack context and do not actually understand what the technology is about. She explained that their understanding is important because the decisions they are making will have long-term ramifications.

Ai Everything is hosted by the UAE’s National Program for Artificial Intelligence with the support of global association partners International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in strategic partnership with Smart Dubai.

We can chat all we like about human biases creating AI biases with our Western cultural ideology, but if there is going to be anything like an AI bias council, it should probably be held in Beijing, Shanghai, or Shenzhen. Chinese cultural and political norms are going to have a much bigger influence over AI bias than anything we do here in America.

I spend quite a bit of time working with multinational corporations that operate in the Asia-Pacific region. This past week, I got to spend some quality time with Chinese colleagues working on the most cutting-edge AI systems that I have ever seen in action. The data sets are astronomical, the access to data is unfettered, the population is practically 100 percent mobile-only, and the competition is so fierce that only the very best systems have a chance.

Imagine if you had every data point about everyone, and you had the ability to turn that data into action. You walk to a street corner, and your phone knows exactly where you are, what you are looking for, and where to direct you. No ads, just information you need when you need it. Then, you do the transaction and pay with your phone, get your ride-share with your phone, give a homeless person a donation with your phone. Keep imagining, and you still won’t get to where China is today, let alone where it’s headed. (By the way, the government sees 100 percent of the data that you get to analyze. But that’s for another article.)

Europe enacted its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to prevent what’s happening in China. The U.S. government has called Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google and other tech companies to testify before Congress so that America can figure out how to enact its own version of GDPR. While Europe and America compare notes about what data privacy may or may not mean, in Shanghai, what I have described above is about 5 percent of what people can do with Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent apps installed on their smartphones. We’re talking about it; China is doing it.

Yes, there are still two Chinas: the new China with bright shining (though smoggy) cities and amazing tech, and the countryside where some communities don’t have electricity or running water. This is, of course, simplistic and leaves aside real and persistent human rights issues in that country. Still, on balance, the tech in China—and its path to the future as a result of China’s data policies—will make it just about impossible for America to catch up, let alone compete.

Collaboration, not competition
We need to reframe the China-versus-America conflict to what it really is: human beings (all human beings) planning for a future where tools not only think, but they make decisions that will impact how we (all of us humans) spend our days.

We can learn to work together. My friends and colleagues in China are productivity machines. They work incessantly. Not only do they work hard, but they also work smart. It is humbling.

AI, obviously, is already changing everything. The technology is going to affect everyone. So, before we get into an economically devastating game of dueling AI, let’s put our own biases aside and get some multinational, cross-cultural, cross-industry councils together to chat about how humans should treat humans, how humans should treat machines, and topically, how machines should treat humans.

Shelly Palmer is CEO of The Palmer Group, a strategic advisory andbusiness development practice.

This article is published in collaboration with Adage