Market Trends of MEA AMH and Storage Systems Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the MEA Automated Material Handling & Storage Systems Market according to our research experts:
Growing E-commerce in Middle East and Africa is Expected to Drive the Market
- The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets globally, with one of the youngest populations. Out of 108 million people, more than 28% of the population in the Middle East is between the ages of 15 and 29.
- This is more prominent in specific countries, including Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia, where around 20% of the total population is between the ages of 15 and 24 years. Most younger generations are shifting towards e-commerce and smartphone usage, due to which the upward trend of e-commerce is expected.
- As online shoppers' preferences for customized and personalized product orders grow, e-commerce enterprises find it increasingly challenging to fulfil complex orders using manual processes. Customers also want these customized purchases delivered at low prices and simultaneously with standard orders. Because of the growing popularity of customized orders, manufacturers and warehouse operators have been compelled to improve the efficiency and speed of their picking and sorting processes to achieve economic success.
- With well-built logistics networks in the region, South Africa is an encouraging platform for the e-commerce industry. Moreover, according to the World Economic Forum, South Africa has realized that the potential future of trade is digital, and a large component of this is e-commerce, which has the potential to transform how businesses in Africa produce, sell, and consume goods. This is also expected to drive the e-commerce and logistics sector. Such factors are expected to drive the market's growth.
- Furthermore, United Arab Emirates is an encouraging platform for the e-commerce industry. For instance, in January 2022, the UAE-based e-commerce fulfillment start-up, Shortages, raised USD 700,000 in a seed funding round to allow international e-commerce companies access the UAE and GCC markets. The raised funds would be used for expansion and recruitment as part of the company's strategy to establish more warehouse facilities across the UAE.
- According to DED (Dubai), In the current year, the forecasted value of e-commerce sales in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was approximately USD 27 billion. E-commerce sales in the UAE were estimated to grow by an average of 23% per year between 2018 and 2022.
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Saudi Arabia is Expected to Hold Major Market Share
- Like most Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia's economy also typically depends on the oil and petrochemical industry. It is estimated that even a 5% reduction in oil production in the country may decelerate the pace of gross domestic product (GDP) by over 80%.
- In its World Economic Outlook update, even the International Monitory Fund (IMF) has drastically slashed its forecast for Saudi Arabia's GDP. The main argument behind that revision is the anticipated prolongation of the expurgated oil production following OPEC's agreement.
- In recent years, owing to Saudi Vision 2030, the plan launched recently to reduce the country's dependence on oil, the e-commerce and logistics sectors have witnessed a significant rise in demand. The plan encompasses a nine-point strategy of process streamlining, market liberalization, privatization, infrastructure enhancement, the establishment of new free economic zones, and governance and regulatory reforms to maximize its strategic advantage to evolve into the logistics hub of the Middle Eastern region.
- The country is expected to be a hotspot for pharmaceutical industries, as many players are expected to enter the Saudi Arabian market. This, in turn, will likely increase the need for packaging solutions. This is expected to automatically contribute toward the adoption of conveyors and palletizers.
- Moreover, the country is one of the major tourist destinations in the world and is attracting many foreign tourists. This increase in the average air traffic in the country is propelling the demand for AMH equipment in the airport end-user segment. Although the slowdown of the global oil market and restrictions on production are likely to reduce investments in the aviation sector, considerable recovery is expected in the next few years. According to the General Authority of Civil Aviation, tourism's contribution to Saudi Arabia's GDP was expected to reach SAR 223 billion (~USD 59.38 billion) by this year, and it anticipated that the contribution of the tourism industry to the Saudi economy would continue to increase to reach about SAR 635 billion (~USD 168.89 billion) by 2032.
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