In this edition of our Q&A series, we speak with Lina Gallagher, the founder and Managing Director of Emerce Consulting. With over two decades of experience in e-commerce, digital transformation, and retail strategy — particularly across the MENA and GCC regions — Lina has guided countless brands in enhancing their online presence and driving sustainable growth. Her practical approach combines strategic consulting, operational execution, and hands-on mentorship for both established companies and startups.

Q: Lina, let’s start with your journey. Can you give us a brief overview of your business and your experience helping brands grow digitally across the MENA region?

A: I’ve been working in digital for over twenty years now — my journey actually started when I was just 13! I built a few e-commerce ventures myself, was fortunate enough to sell them, and later studied e-commerce at Liverpool University.

After that, I joined Deloitte Consulting in London, where I led digital transformation projects and launched e-commerce and omnichannel strategies for major retailers, brands, and distributors across various sectors like grocery, luxury, beauty, fashion, and electronics — in markets all over the world.

Twelve years ago, I moved to the UAE. At that time, the online retail scene here was still in its infancy, much like London was when I first began my career. So, I started out as a solo entrepreneur, helping leading regional brands embark on their digital journey. Today, my company — Emerce Consulting — has grown into a dedicated team.

We help businesses of all sizes launch and grow their digital channels end-to-end: from strategy and budgeting to merchandising, technology, and operations. Whether a company is starting from scratch or trying to scale profitably, we guide them through every step, even expanding into new markets.

We also co-invest in promising startups, acting as co-founders in exchange for equity — giving them access to our years of expertise without the upfront consultancy costs.

In addition, I run Ecomm Wave, a digital learning platform offering affordable e-commerce courses for startups that might not need or can’t yet afford full consultancy services.

I’ve also written a book called "Winning in the Platform Economy", available on Amazon — but I’m happy to share a free digital copy with any listener who reaches out to me on LinkedIn.

Everything I do is centered around one goal: helping brands succeed and stay profitable in an increasingly competitive digital world.

Q: You’ve worked with many brands looking to enter the Saudi market. For companies wanting to succeed there, what do they need to know before launching? What makes this market unique?

A: First and foremost, what works in London, Paris, New York, Bangalore, or Shanghai will not necessarily work in Saudi Arabia. You simply can’t copy and paste your global playbook here. Saudi consumers have unique expectations.

Language is a big one: Arabic must come first. Relying on Google Translate won’t be enough — brands must invest in proper localization.

Next is merchandising. Product images, descriptions, and lifestyle visuals should reflect Saudi culture and family values. For instance, using Western models or snow-filled backdrops doesn’t resonate with local consumers — you’d be surprised how often this basic point is overlooked.

Marketing is another area where many international brands get it wrong. In the West, brands rely heavily on email, SMS, and standard paid ads. In Saudi Arabia, WhatsApp marketing is crucial — not just for sending messages but as an interactive shopping channel with clickable buttons for offers, orders, and customer support. If you don’t leverage WhatsApp, you risk becoming invisible to your target customers.

Finally, it’s important to understand Saudi Arabia’s vast geographic and cultural diversity. What works in Riyadh might not work in Jeddah. I always advise brands to spend time on the ground — visit malls, cafes, supermarkets — and observe firsthand how people shop and what matters to them. Saudi shoppers value family and community; your product range and online experience must reflect and respect that.

If your products don’t align with these values, it’s better to start with a safe, relevant range and expand carefully. In short: localize deeply, adapt your marketing channels, and never assume a one-size-fits-all approach will work.

Q: How important is personalization there, and how does it differ from personalization strategies used in Western markets?

A: That’s an important topic because personalization in Saudi Arabia goes far beyond what most Western brands are used to.

In Western markets, personalization is largely about automation — using technology to segment customers and send tailored messages at scale. And yes, you still need that in Saudi Arabia, especially when you have a large database. But here, personalization is much more cultural and social than purely technological.

First, you have to remember that in Saudi culture, whatever message or offer you send to Lina — for example — won’t stay with just Lina. She’ll likely discuss it over coffee with her sisters, in-laws, cousins, and friends. She might talk about it for an entire week. So, what you send to one customer can influence a much wider circle through word-of-mouth.

This means brands must be very thoughtful. If your message feels irrelevant or touches on a topic that’s taboo or controversial, it can backfire and break that word-of-mouth chain. Instead of sharing it enthusiastically, the customer may reject it entirely.

Second, personalization here isn’t only about data-driven targeting — it’s about cultural and trend relevance. For example, if you follow TikTok trends in Saudi Arabia, you’d know that right now everyone is talking about the “Labobo doll.” Every big brand is finding ways to tap into this trend. If you miss what’s trending, you miss being relevant — and to Saudi consumers, that’s what real personalization means.

Third, let’s talk about segmentation. In Saudi Arabia, segmentation needs to be hyper-local — down to neighborhoods within the same city. For example, in Riyadh, I have clients who run the same store brand on two different sides of the city, but the customer profile and best-selling products are completely different in each location. One store might cater mostly to women; another, mostly to men. The demographics might include Saudis, Jordanians, Egyptians, or South Asians — all in the same city.

This hyper-local variation means you can’t blast out the same WhatsApp message or promotion for “Riyadh” as a whole. You need to craft tailored content for each micro-segment. If you don’t, you risk sending an irrelevant offer — or worse, promoting an item that’s not even available in that specific store.

So, while technology is vital to manage and deliver these personalized messages, 80% of the work is in how you analyze your customer data and design the strategy behind it. That’s why many brands partner with Emerce Consulting: to navigate these nuances and execute personalization that truly resonates with Saudi shoppers.

Q: When it comes to choosing the right digital platform — for example, WhatsApp, email, or e-commerce systems — what do Saudis and businesses in the region lean towards? Or does it differ by region?

A: That’s a great question — and the answer really shows the complexity here.

First, let’s talk about the tech landscape. In the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, brands love the big global platforms — Salesforce, Adobe, Shopify, Klaviyo — you name it. But loving these tools and being able to afford them are two different things.

A lot of businesses here are first-timers when it comes to e-commerce or digital operations. Unlike in the US or Europe, where it’s rare to meet someone launching their very first online store, here you still hear: “This is my first time doing this.” Because of that, many brands play it safe and choose market-leading platforms — the “Ferraris” of martech.

But the reality is, sometimes these brands buy a Ferrari but can’t afford a Formula 1 driver. They get a premium system but lack the budget or talent to run it properly. So they end up paying big license fees that don’t match the revenue they’re making online yet.

As companies gain more experience, they become more cautious. That’s why the platform market here is very fragmented. Some retailers decide to build their own tech — which I generally don’t recommend. I always tell them: Stick to what you do best — sourcing great products and running physical stores. Leave the tech to experts who live and breathe it. But some still insist on custom solutions, which adds complexity.

At the same time, Saudi has a strong local tech ecosystem. There are homegrown platforms that are like the Saudi versions of Shopify, Klaviyo, or Salesforce. These local players often come with built-in local logistics integrations, Arabic support, and sales reps right down the street. So they feel very convenient — and they’re usually cheaper than global leaders.

The flip side is that when your business starts to scale, it can be hard to find skilled people to run and customize these local systems. Also, many local platforms don’t easily expand to other markets like the UAE. So suddenly you’re stuck: your tech stack holds you back from regional growth.

This is why I always advise clients to start by really clarifying their goals and timeline. Sometimes, it makes sense to start with a cost-effective local solution for 2–3 years, test the market, and reinvest the savings into marketing. But you need to plan for when you outgrow that platform — so you’re ready to upgrade before it limits your success.

Q: If I’m a brand planning to launch in Saudi Arabia, what are the must-do steps to not just launch but scale profitably?

A:  This is where so many brands get it wrong — they think launching is enough. But launching is just the start.

The first must-do is to curate a product collection specifically for Saudi customers. What works in the UAE or Europe will not automatically work here. You need items that fit local tastes — whether that’s a Ramadan-exclusive line, abayas, nightwear, or locally inspired styles. If you don’t have this expertise, partner with local designers. Don’t assume you can design a hijab or abaya collection if you don’t wear them yourself — it simply won’t resonate.

Next, take local marketing seriously. This means local photoshoots, campaigns timed for local seasons and religious holidays like Ramadan and Eid, and local influencers — even micro-influencers with a small but loyal following can create powerful word-of-mouth.

Physical presence also matters. Saudis value brands that show real commitment to the market. If a full store is too big a leap, try pop-ups or shop-in-shops in department stores. Brands that succeed don’t treat Saudi as just another tick on the P&L — they genuinely adapt and invest.

Finally, do your homework. Walk the malls, explore local marketplaces like Noon and Amazon.sa, and check out local designers and competitors. You’ll quickly see that what sells elsewhere may not sell here.

In short, if you want to make money in Saudi Arabia, think local in product, marketing, and experience — and plan for growth beyond just surviving your first year.

Q: So data is central to performance — that’s clear. What KPIs do you typically track with your clients? And what’s considered a healthy conversion or acquisition rate in the Saudi market?

A: It really depends on the industry. For example, in luxury, the average conversion rate is currently between 0.5% and 0.8%. On the other end of the spectrum, grocery retailers usually see conversion rates ranging from 2% to 3.5%, and in some niche cases, it can reach up to 4.5% or even 5% — though that’s more the exception than the norm.

For categories like fast fashion, beauty, and skincare, a healthy conversion rate is typically around 1.5%, and while it can occasionally reach 1.8%, it rarely crosses the 2% mark.

When it comes to acquisition costs, unfortunately, Saudi Arabia has one of the highest customer acquisition costs globally. This isn’t necessarily because brands are doing things wrong — it’s largely because Saudi consumers are exceptionally digitally savvy. For context, Saudi Arabia ranks number one in the world for daily YouTube watch time. People here are highly active on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook — and most own two to three mobile devices.

This hyper-digital engagement means that nearly every brand — from five-star hotels and airlines to restaurants and retailers — is competing for the same digital ad space. The easiest and fastest way to reach consumers is through paid advertising, so brands tend to pour significant budgets into it rather than diversifying into organic or alternative channels.

The result? A crowded auction for ad placements. For example, on Instagram, there’s a limit to how many ads a user can realistically see in a feed — but thousands of brands are bidding to appear in those few slots. So just winning the chance to show an ad, let alone convert a sale, becomes very expensive.

In contrast, in smaller or less digitally saturated markets, like Lithuania for instance, there’s far less competition per user, which keeps costs down. In Saudi, however, because the supply of ads is huge and the audience is so digitally active, brands have to outbid each other aggressively — which pushes costs up significantly.

As a result, the brands that succeed are typically the ones with the budgets and strategies to outbid smaller players. While some brands invest in PR, organic content, or word-of-mouth, these channels often don’t scale quickly enough to match paid ads in effectiveness here.

This context is essential for any brand planning to benchmark performance or scale in the Saudi market — it’s a unique digital ecosystem where only the strongest strategies and budgets survive.

Q: How do you see the future of retail and e-commerce evolving in the region?

A: That’s a big question, but here are my key predictions — based on what we’re already seeing on the ground and where I believe the Middle East, and Saudi in particular, are heading.

1.  AI will transform retail faster here than in many parts of the world

Predicting trends is tricky, especially in this region where change happens overnight. But I strongly believe the Middle East will become a leader in AI-driven retail.

Why?

• Global AI companies are rapidly entering the region — setting up entities, investing, or at least testing the waters.
• The young population is incredibly tech-savvy — while Europe debates regulations, people here are already using the latest tools.

Retailers sit on a goldmine of consumer data, yet most still underutilize it. This is changing. Soon, instead of waiting for answers from different departments, brands will have brand-specific AI agents — capable of instantly answering questions like “How many cans of milk did we sell in our Jeddah store yesterday?”

These AI agents won’t just answer questions — they’ll take actions: sending personalized messages, restocking shelves, handling routine customer queries like “Does this product contain nuts?” — all autonomously or with minimal human oversight.

Because the region is so pro-innovation and the regulatory environment is supportive, I expect to see Saudi-born businesses at the forefront of practical, operational AI within the next 12 to 24 months. This won’t be about replacing people — it’s about boosting efficiency and speed at a scale that Western markets may take years to match.

2. Profitability and operational efficiency will take priority over hyper-growth

COVID fueled a surge in top-line growth, but in the past year, many brands have started to rethink their foundations. Companies are questioning:

• Do we really need that huge warehouse?
• Is our tech stack over-engineered?
• Could one person supported by AI do the job of two?
  

With margins under pressure — partly because most products are imported and global freight costs have risen — brands can’t just pass costs onto the customer. So the focus is shifting from endless expansion to healthy bottom-line profits.

In practical terms, some brands will pause geographic expansion or streamline product categories — for example, deciding to stop offering women’s or kids’ lines if they’re not profitable. This organizational transformation will continue for at least the next 2–3 years, supported by smart AI tools that help businesses do more with leaner teams.

3. Quick commerce will boom; direct-to-consumer will stabilize; true omnichannel will finally mature

Quick commerce is already growing fast and will keep expanding — although we may see some consolidation among global players in the Saudi market, simply because the market can’t absorb unlimited operators.

For direct-to-consumer, I don’t expect huge double-digit growth ahead. Brands should focus less on pumping money into customer acquisition at all costs and more on optimizing how efficiently they acquire and retain customers.

On the offline retail side, there’s huge room for real omnichannel experiences — which, frankly, are rare here despite the buzzword. True omnichannel means:

• Fulfillment directly from stores, not just warehouses
• Click-and-collect that actually works seamlessly
• Store staff and e-commerce teams sharing a single customer view

Right now, only a handful of brands in the region do this well. But I expect more retailers to rethink how stores and online channels complement each other: using e-commerce to test assortments, localize inventory, and understand customer demand city by city before shipping full ranges to stores.

In summary:

1. AI agents will drive a retail revolution — faster and more practically than in many Western markets.
2. Profitability and efficiency will trump reckless expansion.
3. Quick commerce will thrive, DTC will stabilize, and real omnichannel will slowly but surely take root.

These are the shifts I’m most excited about — and they’re moving at an incredible pace.

The future of retail and e-commerce in the Middle East — and Saudi Arabia in particular — is set to be shaped by bold innovation and a clear shift in mindset. Businesses will lead the way in practical AI adoption, become sharper about profitability over reckless growth, and gradually deliver true omnichannel experiences that meet evolving consumer expectations.

To watch the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK2TN1RkqAs