Marketing Research Company Gartner forecasts that CRM software sales will rise by 19.7 percent in 2008, to $113.8 million, in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region and that the MEA region will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% from 2007 to 2012.
Gartner also expects software-as-a-service (SAAS) to gain popularity in the Middle East. However, not at the same aggressive rates experienced elsewhere. "In terms of SAAS uptake in North America and parts of Western Europe, that's been very quick and it's been growing quite significantly year on year. However, in the Middle East we expect the uptake to be a little bit slower and follow the trend of continental Europe, places like France and Germany as opposed to places like the UK and Netherlands which have been faster adopters of SAAS."
According to the Annual Middle East Call Centre/CRM conference, CRM adoption among Middle Eastern countries has surpassed 20 percent annual growth and The Middle East Contact Centre market is currently witnessing a 30% growth rate in the number of agent positions.
Source: Gartner Research for Middle East (Dubai).
