Personal Relationships And Recommendations Key For Brands In UAE, According To MEPRA Research By YouGov

An independent survey of more than 1,000 residents about how trust is built in products and services has highlighted that people still rely overwhelmingly on personal recommendations in the social media and advertising age.

Some 84% of those polled said they trusted face-to-face recommendations of products and services from their friends and family. When asked the same question about online, social media-based recommendations from friends and family, that number dropped to 55%. Only 39% of respondents trusted online recommendations from social media influencers or people with large followings.