Expert Interviews UAE: How to Use Insights to Enter the Market the Right Way
Expert Interviews in UAE & Saudi Arabia
Doing business in the UAE can be full of promise—but it also comes with unknowns. From the outside, the region appears as a well-structured, high-income market where innovation and investment are actively encouraged. That’s true. However, for newcomers entering the UAE market without understanding its people, habits, and internal business dynamics, costly mistakes can occur.
One of the most underused—but highly effective—tools for getting reliable information fast is expert interviews. At Accurate Middle East Consulting, based in Dubai, we help companies collect expert insights through structured interview methodologies tailored to the Gulf region.
In this article, we’ll walk you through what expert interviews are, how they work in the UAE, how they differ from general surveys and phone calls, and why they’re crucial for startups, investors, and international businesses considering a market entry in 2025 and beyond.
Why Understanding the UAE Market Requires More Than Just Google
Let’s start with a fact: publicly available data in the UAE is limited. Many industries operate without disclosing detailed customer statistics, and formal reports can be scarce or outdated.
So, how do you access real market intelligence before launching a product or setting up operations? You speak directly to the people who know: market insiders, competitors, distributors, government-linked consultants, and experienced business leaders in the sector.
That’s where expert interviews come in. They’re not just phone calls or surveys—they’re one-on-one, targeted conversations with carefully selected professionals who can reveal market behaviors, customer psychology, pricing models, operational constraints, and more.
What Are Expert Interviews in the UAE Context?
Expert interviews in the UAE usually happen via structured video calls, online meetings, or occasionally in person, depending on the nature of the research. The UAE is culturally unique: privacy is valued, unsolicited cold-calling is illegal, and relationship-building is essential. That’s why successful interviews here require sensitivity, pre-approvals, and a clearly communicated purpose.
Unlike broad consumer surveys, expert interviews focus on B2B or high-level sector insights. The typical respondents are:
- Distributors
- Retail operators
- Business owners in a specific sector
- Industry analysts or regulators
- Former employees of competitors
- Procurement professionals
- Government advisors (where relevant)
Our team at Accurate Middle East carefully selects and qualifies each expert before initiating an interview. Most of them come from our proprietary network or trusted panels, where participants have already granted permission to be contacted.
Where Phone Interviews Fit In—And Where They Don’t
B2B interviews in UAE & Saudi market analysis
Phone interviews may sound like a fast way to gather feedback, but in the UAE, this comes with regulatory constraints. Cold phone calls are not allowed. All communication with individuals or companies must follow UAE telecom and privacy laws.
That’s why most phone-based research here happens only:
- With respondents who have explicitly opted in (existing databases or panels)
- With known B2B contacts as part of a business development or partnered research initiative
- As follow-ups to digital survey completions
What Phone Interviews Can Reveal
When done properly, phone interviews can uncover powerful insights such as:
- Customer brand awareness and loyalty
- User pain points and unmet needs
- Switching behavior and loyalty drivers
- Willingness to pay for new services
- Feature preferences in pilot-stage products
- Pricing elasticity and comparison with competitors
The key is working with a team (like Accurate Middle East) that understands how to legally, ethically, and effectively conduct these interviews in the UAE business context.
Why You Shouldn’t Launch a Product Without Talking to the Market
We’ve seen it repeatedly: companies launch in the UAE thinking they’ve already nailed product-market fit. But six months later, they’re burning through cash with no real traction. Why? Because they skipped customer development.
They Didn’t:
- Identify the right buyer personas
- Understand local purchasing behavior
- Validate pricing strategy
- Map competitors‘ real value propositions
- Localize messaging and value communication
Here’s the hard truth: if you’re entering a new market with assumptions from your home country, you’re gambling. And that gamble often costs six to seven figures.
What Customer Interviews Reveal That Data Can’t
Expert Interviews UAE How to Use Insights to Enter the Market the Right Way
Quantitative data gives you patterns. Expert and phone interviews give you reasons.
Let’s say an e-commerce company sees a drop-off in cart conversions in the UAE. Web analytics might tell you when and where users bounce—but only interviews with target customers will explain why they didn’t complete the purchase. It might be:
- Delivery trust issues
- Payment method preferences
- Gender-based UX friction
- Lack of Arabic support
- Pricing misalignment
Similarly, in B2B, interviews with procurement officers can reveal why they stay loyal to local vendors or what kind of aftersales support makes or breaks a deal.
| Interview Type | Details |
|---|---|
| 📞 Phone Interviews | Purpose: Quick feedback & opinion-based research Target: General public or opted-in panelists Cost: $7–9 per CPI (cost per interview) Common Use: Brand awareness, satisfaction, preferences |
| 👥 In-Person Interviews | Purpose: Deeper conversations with B2B stakeholders Target: Distributors, partners, clients (contact provided by client) Cost: $26–28 per CPI Common Use: Satisfaction studies, partner screening, product feedback |
| 🔍 Expert Recruiting + Interview | Purpose: Full-cycle expert sourcing and structured interviews Target: Industry professionals, decision-makers, public/private sector reps Cost: from 500 AED (per full session) Common Use: Market research, feasibility, pricing & strategic validation |
How Expert Interviews Helped Our Clients: Real-Life Cases
Case 1: Helping an EV Taxi Operator Avoid a $2M Mistake
A European transportation company wanted to bring its electric taxi fleet to the UAE and assumed it could enter under a standard commercial vehicle license. Before they invested, they approached Accurate Middle East for a quick market validation.
Through expert interviews with taxi regulators, fleet operators, and municipal advisors, we discovered that:
- Licensing EV taxis requires a completely different permit.
- Specific emirates had pending tenders not open to foreign bids.
- Some areas favored hybrid over EV due to charging infrastructure gaps.
Outcome: The company changed their model, saved nearly $2 million in wrong investments, and pivoted toward a partnership model instead of solo operation.
Learn more about licensing and transport regulations at the official RTA (Roads & Transport Authority) website.
Case 2: Manufacturing of Steel Tanks in MENA—From Dream to Roadmap
A European steel tanks manufacturer had ambitions to set up a plant in the Gulf region. They approached us to test their feasibility assumptions.
Our expert interviews focused on:
- Steel tanks buyers (from 3 segments – oil and gas, chemical and agriculture)
- Free zone regulatory officers
- Market experts (from key market experts)
- Steel tanks component distributors
We combined this with interviews of B2B wholesalers to validate the demand and the biggest growing segment. The result? A 85-page feasibility study and a staged market entry plan focused on the UAE and KSA.
Additional Research Methods We Combine With Expert Interviews
While expert interviews are powerful, they don’t work in isolation. Depending on your objectives, we may also recommend:
- Online surveys (for larger sample sizes)
- Desk research on competitors and pricing
- Mystery shopping (especially for retail sectors)
- In-depth stakeholder mapping
- Persona-building workshops
- Partner search and B2B matchmaking
We select the methodology based on your budget, timeline, and business goals—not because it’s trendy, but because it works.
Why Work with Accurate Middle East
We’ve been working on market entry, research, and strategy projects in the UAE and wider GCC for over a decade. Our local team knows how to:
- Build trust with respondents
- Comply with local privacy and communication laws
- Translate research findings into practical business action
- Deliver results quickly, discreetly, and with real commercial value
Most importantly, we’re not just researchers—we’re strategic partners. When you come to us for expert interviews, we go beyond just delivering transcripts. You get insights, recommendations, and direct next steps to guide your decision-making.
Ready to Make Smart Moves in the UAE Market?
If you’re launching or expanding in the UAE and need clarity before committing your resources, start with the voices that matter most: your future clients, partners, and competitors. Our expert interview services provide you with unfiltered market intelligence that saves time, money, and frustration.
📞 Contact Accurate Middle East
Phone / WhatsApp: +971 50 599 5603
Website: www.meaccurate.com
Email: info@meaccurate.com
Frequently Asked Questions: Expert Interviews UAE
What are expert interviews and why are they important in the UAE?
Expert interviews are structured conversations with professionals who have deep knowledge of a specific market or industry. In the UAE, where public data is limited and culture plays a key role in business, these interviews are crucial to understand consumer behavior, regulations, and competition before launching a business.
Are phone interviews allowed in the UAE?
Cold calling is strictly prohibited in the UAE. Phone interviews can only be conducted with individuals who have given prior consent, such as through panels or approved databases. Accurate Middle East follows UAE telecom laws to ensure compliant research.
How long does it take to complete expert interviews in the UAE?
Depending on the number of interviews and scope, expert interviews typically take between 1 to 4 weeks. The timeline includes recruiting, scheduling, conducting the interviews, and analyzing insights.
What types of businesses benefit from expert interviews in the UAE?
Any business entering a new market—especially in sectors like EV, fintech, F&B, logistics, or retail—can benefit from expert interviews. These insights help validate pricing, understand regulations, and identify demand or partnership opportunities.
Can Accurate Middle East help me with market entry strategy?
Absolutely. Beyond expert interviews, we provide full-market entry consulting, feasibility studies, customer analysis, and go-to-market strategy tailored to the UAE and Gulf markets.
