Everyone and their mother are talking about AI, though on the ground there is little efficiency. How can brands truly benefit from AI at this point?
AI talk is everywhere, but value comes only when brands move from hype to hard use cases. The winners are already using AI techniques, such as AI decisioning, to autonomously experiment and continuously adapt experiences based on customer behavior. This can help determine the best channel, message, offer, timing, frequency, and more for each individual customer. Intelligent orchestration makes it even more powerful, enabling real-time responsiveness, cross-channel consistency, and proactive engagement that feels human. And the data proves it: the Braze 2025 Customer Engagement Review shows top-performing brands are 30% more likely to use predictive analytics and 15% more likely to use AI for QA and creative generation.
The Braze 2025 GCC Customer Engagement Review shows that while brands in the region excel at advanced modelling, only 39% leverage real-time engagement. At the same time, 74% are extremely or very concerned about missing the emotional mark—well above the global average of 54%. Why the gap, and how can brands adjust?”
The gap is simple: too many brands stop at segmentation, while consumers demand dynamic, predictive, and emotionally intelligent personalisation. Siloed data only widens the disconnect, producing fragmented messages that feel out of sync. The fix is clear, unify behavioural, transactional, and preference data on a single engagement platform and use it to drive real-time responsiveness. Consumers know when personalisation is stuck in the past; they reward brands that adapt in the moment. By aligning tone, timing, and purpose across every channel and treating optimisation as a continuous discipline, marketers can close the perception gap and deliver experiences that feel genuinely personal, not performative. A great example is Floward, the Riyadh-headquartered flowers and gifting platform operating across nine countries in the Middle East and the UK. It shows how data and channel orchestration can close the personalisation gap. By using RFM segmentation to re-engage inactive customers during Valentine’s Day and adding WhatsApp to its push and email mix, Floward achieved the highest read rates on WhatsApp, significantly higher conversion, and improved retention, clear proof that predictive, real-time personalisation outperforms generic segmentation.
GCC brands seem at a crossroads: rooted in cultural nuance, yet eager to adopt new tech. Is there a way to keep both in harmony?
GCC brands win when they turn cultural nuance and cutting-edge tech into allies rather than trade-offs. The strongest players are weaving humour, pop culture, and regional traditions into campaigns, while AI and automation give them the scale to make those connections felt in real time. But tech without authenticity falls flat, breaking down silos across teams is what keeps messaging sharp, coordinated, and true to local context. By using first-party and zero-party data responsibly, brands can personalise with precision while safeguarding trust, proving that heritage and innovation don’t just coexist, they amplify each other.
Are we getting to that “Minority Report” moment where emotional resonance and real-time engagement define the next wave of consumer trust?
We are already there. Emotional resonance is now the heartbeat of customer engagement, with the Braze 2025 GCC Customer Engagement Review showing that 74% of brands in the region are “extremely concerned” about missing the emotional mark, well above the global average of 54%. Real-time engagement powered by AI is enabling in-the-moment interactions that feel both empathetic and human. Today, trust hinges on a brand’s ability to combine authenticity, storytelling, and personalisation to deliver experiences that are not only predictive but also timely, emotionally intelligent, and genuinely relevant.
Ramadan is always a peak for many brands, yet most fail to capitalize on the Holy Month. How can they retain customers post-Ramadan and turn them into chronic customers?
Brands should leverage Ramadan as a data-gathering moment, analysing purchase trends, engagement peaks, and preferred channels to design personalised retention strategies. Braze’s recent research shows that while GCC brands excel at advanced modelling like propensity scoring, only 39% have adopted real-time engagement. The key is to extend exclusivity with post-Ramadan rewards redeemable only after the festive season, turning urgency into loyalty. Campaigns should transition seamlessly into new seasonal moments to keep momentum alive, while gamification and streak-based challenges reinforce habitual engagement long after the peak. Ultimately, the focus should be on nurturing connections through authentic, personalised communication across all channels, prioritising high-value customer experiences over short-term paid acquisition.
