In this article
Key takeaways
- Video is 69% of Gulf Arabic ads, single images 17%, dynamic ads 9%, carousels 5%.
- Bahrain and Oman are the most video-heavy (77% and 77%); Saudi Arabia the least (63%) with the highest image share (21%).
- Makeup leads the categories (91% video), then fashion, watches and hair care; food is lowest (70%).
- Single-product landing pages use the most video (LightFunnels 82%); WhatsApp sellers the most images (30%).
How many Gulf ads are video?
Of the newest 160,000 Arabic ads of Gulf stores, from 24,891 advertiser pages:
| Format | Share |
|---|---|
| Video | 69% |
| Single image | 17% |
| Dynamic (from the store catalogue) | 9% |
| Carousel | 5% |
Video is the default language of a store ad in the Gulf, not an extra. The reason is simple: the ads show on Instagram first, in Reels and Stories, and buyers there stop for a product that moves and is used in front of them. But the share varies a lot by country, product and platform, as the next tables show.
Video by country
| Country | Video | Image | Carousel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 63% | 21% | 5% |
| UAE | 72% | 16% | 4% |
| Kuwait | 70% | 17% | 6% |
| Qatar | 71% | 16% | 6% |
| Bahrain | 77% | 13% | 4% |
| Oman | 77% | 14% | 4% |
Bahrain and Oman are the most video-heavy Gulf markets, then the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait. Saudi Arabia is the lowest and has the highest single-image share: the biggest market has many stores advertising with a product photo and a price, and that format still has its place there. Details in Instagram ads in Saudi Arabia.
Video by category: makeup on top
| Category | Video | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup | 91% | 6% |
| Fashion and shoes | 86% | 7% |
| Watches and accessories | 87% | 7% |
| Hair care | 84% | 11% |
| Electronics | 83% | 10% |
| Health and supplements | 80% | 13% |
| Skincare | 78% | 14% |
| Home and furniture | 78% | 11% |
| Abayas | 70% | 9% |
| Perfumes and incense | 75% | 14% |
| Kids and toys | 74% | 14% |
| Food, coffee and dates | 70% | 18% |
The rule is clear: the more a product needs to be "seen working", the more video. Makeup and hair sell on the result on a face or on hair (read Makeup ads), fashion on movement on a body, watches on light and shine. Food, kids and perfumes use more images: a box of dates, a toy or a perfume bottle is understood from one picture. And abayas have the highest carousel share of any category (11%): several colours and cuts in one ad.
Video by store platform
| Platform | Video | Image | Dynamic |
|---|---|---|---|
| LightFunnels | 82% | 12% | 6% |
| EasyOrders | 83% | 10% | 6% |
| YouCan | 75% | 4% | 21% |
| WooCommerce | 62% | 21% | 11% |
| Zid | 56% | 21% | 17% |
| WhatsApp (no store) | 57% | 30% | 4% |
| Salla | 59% | 18% | 18% |
| Shopify | 56% | 17% | 22% |
Single-product landing pages (LightFunnels, EasyOrders) sell one product with one video, so they use video the most. Store builders with a catalogue (YouCan, Shopify, Salla, Zid) use dynamic ads more: Meta shows catalogue products automatically. And sellers on WhatsApp without a store use images the most: a product photo, a price, then the chat.
What the videos that last for weeks do
The numbers say video is the norm; what separates a video running for weeks from one that stopped after two days is craft. These are general patterns we see recur in the longest-running ads:
- The hook in the first two seconds: a problem the viewer knows, the result straight away, or the offer in large text. No logo, no intro.
- The product in use: a hand opening the box, hair before and after, a sofa in a real home. Buyers want to see the product in their life.
- Price and offer on screen: "SAR [price] instead of [price]" written on the video, not only in the caption.
- Arabic subtitles: many watch without sound, so every spoken line is written on screen.
- The ending: the offer, how to order and how to pay, written on the last shot.
How to read running time: Ad running time; the copy that goes with the video: Arabic ad copy.
Study your category's videos before you shoot
Before paying for a shoot, watch twenty videos that have run for weeks in your category and country. In GccFY you pick the ad type "video", the country and the product word, sort by longest running, and show the results as tiles to scan them fast.
Note each video's first two seconds, the written offer and the ending: that is your shooting brief.
