DIRECT MARKETING IN SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM A COMPARATIVE STUDY

ورقة مؤتمر

DIRECT MARKETING IN SAUDI ARABIA

This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the use of direct marketing in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom from the supply side. The empirical investigation that was conducted on a sample of 153 firms in Saudi Arabia and 212 firms in the UK highlights several issues related to elements of direct marketing,  purposes, incentives, and the barriers to using the technique. The final results show that although direct marketing is well-established in the United Kingdom, in Saudi Arabia it is still in its early stage of development. Currently, businesses in Saudi Arabia utilize direct marketing for business-to-business contacts. Also, unlike the situation in the UK, direct mail is still not the dominant element of direct marketing, the most important elements in Saudi Arabia being the facsimile and telephone. Nevertheless, the related issues to purposes, incentives, and barriers appeared to be similar to those found in the UK environment.

​​​​​​​