Saudi Arabia

The three leading sectors in the Saudi CEE market – Non-grocery retail, Grocery retail, and Financial services – have been resilient to the change and uncertainty of the past few years. Many brands within these sectors have demonstrated a continuation in the quality of service, products and experiences that customers have come to expect, and customers who have good interactions and positive experiences are staying loyal. If they feel satisfied about spending money, customers return, and this ability to maintain brand loyalty has pushed international hotel chain Hilton to the top of the Saudi CEE brand rankings this year. 

Corresponding with the easing of pandemic restrictions, which is allowing travellers to return to a more recognisable 'normal', the brand's reward points program and consistent approach to CX led to a surge in customer loyalty and pushed Hilton from seventh to first in the rankings.

Hilton’s success is heavily influenced by its customers’ faith in the brand, proof that the hotel chain’s CX approach is working. Hilton scored highly in the Loyalty and Integrity pillars in 2022 and the company’s customer retention is strong.

Dropping one spot to rank in second place this year, fast food retailer Albaik continues its streak of high performance in the customer excellence sphere. It scored highest for Integrity and Loyalty, much like Hilton, indicating a trustworthy brand is a recipe for customer loyalty in the Saudi market. New for this year, Albaik opened multiple branches across Saudi Arabia and UAE, which helped the brand expand its customer base. For convenience, and in respect of the customers’ time and effort, they also added a drive-through option in some of those new branches, keeping customers coming back for more servings without even entering the store.

While Integrity is a key driver of customer loyalty in the region, Dr CAFE ranked in third place largely due to its Personalization efforts. As digital transformation has had varying levels of success for brands across Saudi Arabia, brands hoping to compete for a top spot in the coming years should tie their digital and CX strategies together and prioritize the creation of a tailored, seamless experience.

  05. Arabian Oud

  06. Saudia

  07. Noon

  08. Faces

  09. Bupa Arabia

  10. Sephora