Katch How to Make Your Brand Stand Out While Exploring the Latest Iteration of Saudi Consumers

16th February, 2026 | Communication, Public Relations

by - Beth Laverty

Smarter spending, intentional choices, and rising expectations for ease are reshaping how Saudis engage with brands today, demanding clear value, seamless journeys, and experiences that flex by city, channel, and moment

 

Public relations in Saudi Arabia isn’t what it was five years ago. In fact, even in the past year alone, consumer behaviours, trends, and motivations have shifted dramatically. Yet, many global brands still recycle the same old PR and communications strategies they use for the rest of the region for Saudi Arabia, as if what worked for the UAE or Qatar will automatically resonate with a Saudi audience. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

Even within the Kingdom itself, one size doesn’t fit all. Preferences vary widely from region to region, and Saudi consumers themselves are highly multifaceted, discerning, and deeply tuned into global trends. Their mindset shifts by platform, context, and even time of day, pushing PR agencies in Saudi Arabia well beyond traditional demographic targeting.

 

For those serious about making their mark, success means meeting the audience where they are now. Not last year, not five years ago, and not through a copy-paste strategy once destined for Dubai. In today’s blog, we unpack exactly where Saudi Arabia stands today, and what that means for how brands show up next.

 

The Current State of Play

Before we walk you through the current market trends, let’s set the scene first. Saudi Arabia is now home to around 35 million people, with expats accounting for more than a third of the population and a median age just under 30, creating a young, globally connected audience that’s coming into its spending power fast.

 

This is a market in a phase of rapid maturity. Driven by Vision 2030, economic diversification and social change are moving in parallel with growing cultural confidence, digital fluency, and global exposure, shifting consumer expectations away from novelty and scale towards quality, relevance, and experience.

 

Luxury Still Counts, But Value Wins

As Vision 2030 opens the doors to more job opportunities and increasing disposable incomes, luxury still has its place in Saudi Arabia, but today’s consumers are thinking more carefully about where their money goes. Moving in sync with Vision 2030, confidence is rising, with 44% of Saudi households feeling better off than a year ago and 71% expecting their financial situation to improve by early 2026.

 

That optimism is paired with intention. Shoppers are reassessing everyday spend, particularly groceries and essentials, with 34% actively choosing more affordable brands and many keeping a closer eye on basket value through discount retailers and online deals. This mindset is especially visible in major cities like Riyadh and Jeddah, where more consumers plan to scale back grocery spend in the months ahead, signalling a market where clear value and transparent pricing increasingly win over trust and long-term brand loyalty.

Quality and Quantity

This more mindful approach to spending also influences the quantity and quality of products Saudis are reaching for. In the Consumer Outlook: Guide to 2026, 51% of respondents agreed with the statement: ‘I only buy what I know I’ll use to avoid waste.’ Following global trends, fewer impulse purchases, a tighter focus on essentials, and greater awareness around sustainability are becoming the norm. Additionally, value-led choices such as larger pack sizes and health-conscious options are gaining popularity, with 23% actively seeking plant-based and organic products.

 

For brands, the message is clear. Pack sizes need rethinking, promotions need refining, and value needs to be clear and easy to understand. Transparency matters more than ever, with audiences wanting to know where products come from, what makes them different, and why choosing your brand is better for their health, the planet, and their wallet.

 

Time Is Money

In Saudi Arabia, the rise of e-commerce has completely reshaped expectations, with consumers now demanding online experiences that are speedy, easy, and reliable. For the Kingdom’s young, digitally fluent population, shopping online is almost second nature, and patience is short. If a mobile checkout takes more than three taps, they’re out, with faster, familiar platforms like Noon and Amazon only a click away.

 

A seamless online experience can be the difference between winning a sale or losing it altogether, which makes investing in intuitive interfaces and reliable customer service more important than ever. With busy working lives and growing families, consumers want platforms they can trust to work smoothly, without the headaches of glitches, delays, or unnecessary steps.

Digital and In-store Journeys Need to Click

As e-commerce continues to grow, in-store experiences are by no means becoming an afterthought. For Saudi consumers, the expectation is continuity. Browsing, discovering, and buying should feel just as effortless in person as it does online.

 

Take Sephora, for example. Online, you’re welcomed by the brand’s signature black-and-white stripes, with the latest launches and promotions front and centre, ready to add to your basket in a click. Step into the store, and that same experience comes to life, with new products out on display to test and compare, plus the added bonus of in-house experts on hand to help when you need it.

 

Everyday essentials and familiar items like clothing or makeup are increasingly purchased online for convenience and easy returns, while luxury purchases tell a different story, with 92% of high-value buys in Saudi taking place in store. When it comes to splashing out on the likes of a designer perfume or jewellery, consumers want a tactile, high-touch experience that builds confidence, highlighting the need for brands to design fully integrated journeys that let digital convenience and in-person expertise work together in harmony.

 

Context Is the New Targeting

The new generation of consumers has well and truly turned traditional PR and marketing strategies in Saudi Arabia on their heads. Gone are the days of categorising audiences into cookie-cutter demographics. The Kingdom’s tech-savvy population has outgrown these systems.

 

Netizens move fluidly between platforms, mindsets, and motivations throughout the day, with the average user in KSA having 10.4 social media accounts. One person now shows up as multiple digital identities, scrolling TikTok for entertainment for over an hour a day, then briefly switching to LinkedIn for professional networking, creating a landscape where context matters more than age, gender, or income bracket.

 

With millions of active social media accounts spread across a population of around 35 million, brands can no longer rely on a single message or fixed persona. The real opportunity lies in responding to intent in the moment, speaking to a casual browser in the evening and a work-mode user in the morning.

Saudi Arabia Is No Longer a Single Market Playing One Role

With Vision 2030 accelerating economic diversification and spotlighting emerging sectors like tourism, different regions are stepping into distinct roles, and PR campaigns in Saudi Arabia need to move with that reality. Location-led thinking is no longer optional.

 

Four Seasons is a clear example of this in action. In Riyadh, the experience is urban and contemporary, rooted in the capital’s heritage and designed for discerning business travellers and guests who value connection to the city. At the Red Sea’s Shura Island, the same brand takes on a different rhythm, appealing to couples, wellness seekers, and families through a slower, nature-led escape focused on sustainability and tranquillity. Both deliver the brand’s signature elegance and service, but it’s this thoughtful localisation that allows Four Seasons to connect with a broader, more modern Saudi audience.

 

Family Comes First

Saudi Arabia’s growing focus on value, convenience, and reliability is closely tied to the rise in family households and higher birth rates. In 2024, Gen Z and millennials accounted for 65% of consumers, and once Gen Alpha enters the picture, that figure is set to reach 83% by 2035, with these three generations expected to control 77% of household income. For brands, this shifts the focus away from the individual and towards the entire household, where winning over both parents and children is what builds lasting loyalty.

 

This shift is already visible in everyday life. In-store, family-sized packs are becoming more common, and ready-made meals, once hard to find, are now a go-to option for busy, working parents. Across lifestyle and hospitality, kids’ menus and offers such as kids under six dining free are driving footfall, while even Rixos Murjana, Saudi Arabia’s largest all-inclusive resort, is making waves by introducing one of the Kingdom’s biggest and best-equipped kids’ clubs.

Takeaway Message

Saudi Arabia’s next generation of consumers isn’t waiting to be marketed to; they’re deciding who earns their time, attention, and trust. Brands that succeed will be the ones that stay flexible, stay seamless, and understand that relevance now comes from context. Nail that balance, and the audience engagement and brand loyalty will flow naturally.

 

For more related updates and to Katch us covering similar topics, watch this space!

 

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