Brands in the Middle East are preparing to bolster their digital CX capabilities, with nearly three-quarters of organizations in the region planning for substantial investments in CX projects this year, according to a report released to coincide with the annual staging of the area’s biggest CX conference.

The report, which contains the findings of a CX survey of companies in the region, said 74% of organizations in the Middle East will earmark more than $200,000 this year to build up CX capabilities as they strive to adapt to changing market conditions and uncertain economic times. At least 62% of companies plan to revisit their long-term CX strategies, while 40% intend to make “significant” investments within a year.

Moreover, 48% believe that digital transformation or expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots, analytics, and cloud capabilities will be of utmost importance for companies in the region to meet consumer demand and enhance CX, added the report, which was released in tandem with the Customer Experience Live Show held May 23-24 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

More than 600 senior business leaders in the region gathered to share insights on a wide range of CX issues, including emerging technologies, business models, customer-centric strategies, and current challenges. Participating organizations at the event included Emaar real estate properties, Azadea fashion, Mediclinic healthcare services, Mashreq private banking, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Al Rawabi dairy company, British consumer goods giant Unilever, Careem ridesharing, OSN Talabat food ordering, and US medical diagnostic equipment maker GE Healthcare. Supporting the conference were US CX providers Sprinklr, Oracle, Ujet.cx, First Hive, Qualtrics, Freshworks, Calabrio, Uniphore, and Verint; Canadian firms Hootsuite and Emplifi; French outfit Valtech; and German multinational giant SAP.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Ayusha Tyagi, managing director of the conference, said there is increasing reliance on intelligent automation, AI, and the cloud to create the enterprise of the future.

“The Middle East is clearly a market growing in global prominence for the CX industry, with organizations showing quickness in adapting next-gen solutions driven by the vision of the top executive leadership,” Tyagi noted. “The role of CX is evolving fast, and CX leaders who can predict performance gains and risks, ahead of the competition, will be able to create a competitive advantage for their organization.”

Companies in the region shown to have effectively invested in digitalizing the CX journey of their organizations were awarded recognition. The winners included Mashreq Bank, AXA GIG Gulf insurance, Spotify, Medcare, Raya CX, Verint, channels by stc, Riyad Bank, Fakeeh Care, flyadeal, Ades Arabia Al Mouj, Omantel, PDO, solutions by stc, and Beema.

Another event in the area being held at the same time was the Intelligent Automation, AI & Bot Show Middle East 2022, which was aimed at helping business leaders explore intelligent automation as a strategy to transform organizational processes and strengthen the bottom line.