In Momentum’s Middle East Predictions for 2019, we said Amazon would rebrand Souq.com:

In March, we did a detailed analysis called “Souq and the end of an era“, where we discussed details of this prediction.

And today, this rebranding is official:

Nothing surprising to us (or any of our friends in the Middle East): the fact that this switch happens right before the start of Ramadan (a big promotional period where sales volumes typically surge) shows how determined Amazon wants its own brand to quickly gain traction.

Out JollyChic, enter Noon

With JollyChic now in serious trouble, Noon might quickly become Amazon’s major competitor in the Middle East:

Though on the first day of amazon.ae – this happened to some users:

—

Thanks for reading The Low Down (TLD), the blog by the team at Momentum Works. Got a different perspective or have a burning opinion to share? Let us know at [email protected].