Technology Innovation Catalyzes GCC Retail Market To USD 313 Billion By 2021

Technology innovations — such state-of-the-art live events, virtual shopping screens, and 3D sound environments — are catalyzing the GCC’s retail growth to hit a record high of USD 313 billion by 2021, industry experts announced today.

Over the next four years, the GCC’s retail sector will grow by 25 percent to USD 313 billion, according to a recent Alpen Capital report. As malls rise and expand across the region — such as City Centre Al Jazira in Abu Dhabi, the Mall of Saudi in Riyadh, and the Mall of Oman in Muscat — retailers are investing in audiovisual technology to transform the in-store experience.

“Audiovisual innovations are the biggest game changers for transforming the atmospheric and spatial qualities for GCC Smart Cities and smart interiors. In interior design intangible material such as lighting, music, acoustics, and visual technology can combine to transform the identity of a place and its experience” said Dr Dolli Daou, Director, Association of Professional Interior Designers in the UAE, on the sidelines of today’s opening of InfoComm Middle East and Africa (MEA), the region’s largest professional audiovisual event.