Saudis need to train for sales, marketing: Expert

A market analyst in Saudi Arabia has emphasised the increasing need to train the younger generation of Saudis in the field of sales and marketing, as the two sectors in the country are handled mainly by foreign workers at present.

Citing statistics from the Asharqia Chamber, Mohammed Al-Homeidy, a certified financial consultant, says, “Around one million people, which is a sizable percentage of the local population, are working in the sales and marketing sector in the Kingdom…. These people are working in supermarkets, malls, retail and wholesale outlets, and also in marketing and advertising firms.”

He adds that the sector is a huge market in terms of products and needs marketing specialists. The Saudi market represents a challenge and an opportunity for foreign businesses. The Kingdom is located at the heart of a larger regional market that includes the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the wider Arab world and the Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent totaling more than 1.6 billion people.

The Saudi market is also characterised by consumers with high disposable income. Added to it is the fact that a large percentage of the population is under 20 years of age, and will likely increase the demand for a wide range of consumer goods and products in the coming years.