Country Profiles – What to Expect When You’re Expanding
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Country Profiles – What to Expect When You’re Expanding


In this Marketing Report:

Understanding the different needs and the influence different cultures have on consumer behaviour is crucial for successfully entering the market of a new country, and after having expanded into six markets, we at Sortlist know what we are talking about. 

We decided to take a closer look at our core market countries, and the UAE. We created distinguished profiles to better describe and understand the individual preferences and needs of each of those countries. That way, we are also able to identify areas where there may be even more hidden potential for improved targeting.

In order to do so, we collaborated with HypeAuditor to understand IG consumption and the influencer landscape per country Furthermore we looked at the number of crypto users, start-up ratio per inhabitants, time spent online, Pornhub yearly insight and much more… .

We came up with 5 to 6 main characteristics per country and created a profile for each country to help you have a better overview of what each market’s aura is.

70%

of the population in the UAE is employed

19 kg

of sausages per capita are consumed in Germany yearly

1100

Projects coming from the “Clothing & Accessories” and “Luxury & Jewellery” were posted on Sortlist in 2021.

United Arab Emirates: The Influencer Paradise

Business & Social Media

With over 70%, the UAE has by far the highest employment rate out of all the countries. Surprisingly, the UAE has the second highest start-up ratio (1 per 15,000 people) on our list. 

Expanding Internationally: UAE - Business Facts

With 205 cryptocurrency users per 10,000 inhabitants, it comes in second among our selected countries.

With over 66% of the population owning an Instagram account, the UAE is home to the most macro and mega influencers. This results in a ratio per capita of 1 macro or mega influencer per 13,000 inhabitants. Nevertheless, the most searched job is in accounting. 

With an average of over 7h and 24 min spent online a day, the UAE earns its coveted title as the influencer paradise. 

Lifestyle

The UAE can’t be the Influencer Paradise without offering some amazing destinations to visit and places to go out to.  

UAE - Random facts

Home to one of the most luxurious cities in the world and to the third most popular travel destination within the MENA region, Dubai. It is no surprise that one of its most used hashtags on social media is “travel”.

With over 1,100 hotels in the UAE as a whole, and 11,800 operational restaurant and cafés in Dubai alone, the UAE is a true influencer and tourist heaven. 

Belgium: The Tech Nerds

Business & Social Media

Looking for Europe’s tech nerds? Don’t look further than Belgium. The country has 0.5 start-ups per 10,000 inhabitants, and the most searched job is in IT 

Expanding internationally: Belgium - Business Facts

Although only 36.9% of the population has an Instagram account, Belgians aren’t afraid to speak up and interact online. Belgium has the highest engagement rate on Instagram, with 4.8% of Belgians interacting with the biggest influencers around the world.

Lifestyle

When it comes to the lifestyle facts about Belgium, here are some of our highlights: 

Belgium - Random facts

Belgian women are the most interested in porn, with 35% of the Belgian Pornhub audience being female and the most searched term being “Lesbian”.

Belgians are among the top innovation leaders of the EU with a 9% growth in 2021 alone, alongside Scandinavia.  

Belgians are big football fans, with the male national football team currently ranking number 1 in the world. 

Germany: The Eternal Bridesmaid

Business & Social Media

Germany is ranking high in a lot of our categories, but it never manages to actually come in first, we, therefore, baptized it “The Eternal Bridesmaid”.

Expanding internationally: Germany Business Facts

Germany is the country with the second-lowest unemployment rate (4.3%), the second-highest average net salary, and the second-highest total number of start-ups (2259 or 1 per 37.000 inhabitants). The most sought after jobs are in Marketing, with over 2900 monthly searches.

According to HypeAuditor, the most trending topic on Instagram is music. 

Germans spend the least amount of time online, with only 5 hours and 26 minutes per day (you finally did it Germany, you’re number one!) 

Lifestyle 

Germany has the highest sausage consumption per capita in the EU, with 19 kg of sausage per person every year. 

Germany - Random facts

To burn off the calories again, the Germans can hit one of the 9538 gyms spread across the country.  

German women are also the most prude, with only a quarter of them using Pornhub. On the other hand, Germany is the only country having “Femdom” among its most searched categories. 

France: The Fashionistas

Business & Social Media

In 2021, France was the leading country in the fashion industry, scoring 2,300 points on IFDAQ’s index. 

Expanding internationally: France - Business Facts

Over 1,100 French projects in the sectors “Clothing & Accessories” and “Luxury & Jewellery” were posted on Sortlist in 2021. In comparison, the Britons only posted 61 projects.

France is the number one nation for perfume exports, making up 27.2% of the total amount of perfumes exported globally. 

In regard to employment, the most searched job in France, just like its neighbour Germany, is Marketing.  

Lifestyle

Living up to its name, France is the only country to have “Fashion” in their top 5 most trending topics on Instagram, according to Hype Auditor. 

France - Random Facts

France is home of the most visited art museum in the world: the Louvre. Visits dropped by over 70% due to the pandemic, but it still managed to attract 2,700,000 million visitors in 2020.

France is the country with the highest concentration of independent bakeries in the world, with over 32,000 of them spread across the country.

Spain: The Party Animals

Business & Social Media

Spain, the country with the highest unemployment rate on our list, but with 1391 start-ups, the ratio of 0.29 per 10,000 inhabitants is bigger than in Germany (0.26), even though the population is much smaller.

Expanding internationally: Spain - Business Facts

Spanish marketers care the most about social movements, as our study has shown: 34% of Spanish brands have started a campaign regarding social matters. 

Spain is also the country with the highest number of fake accounts following influencers who have more than half a million followers. According to HypeAuditor, 18.7% of the Spanish accounts following macro-influencers (500k – 1 mill.) and 19.9% of accounts following mega influencers (1 mill onwards) on Instagram are fake. 

Lifestyle

22 of the top 100 nightclubs in the world are located in Spain making it the biggest contributor to the list. 

Spain - Random Facts

The average alcohol consumption per capita is 12.67 litres, ranking the Spanish citizens number 7 in the world and the second-highest out of our selected countries. “Sports with a ball” is among the most trending topics on Instagram. No wonder, the most successful team of the UEFA Champions League is Real Madrid, winning the trophy 13 times from 1955 to 2021.

The Netherlands: The Pet (and Porn) Lovers 

Business & Social Media

Looking for a well-paid job? The Netherlands, the nation with the highest average net salary of €2,611, and the lowest unemployment rate at  4.1%. 

Expanding internationally: The Netherlands - Business Facts

The competition is highest in marketing, as it is again the most searched job. With 1 start-up per 17.500 inhabitants, the Netherlands comes in third on our list. According to Forbes, it is the 4th best country in the world for business

Netherlands is the nation with the most fake accounts following influencers below 500,000 followers according to HyperAuditor. But the Dutch are also big entertainment lovers, being the only country having “shows” as one of their most trending topics.

Lifestyle

The Netherlands is not just the country with the most gyms per 10,000 inhabitants (about 1.2) but also the country with the most pets: 27 million, meaning the average Dutch person owns 1.5 animals.

The Netherlands - Random Facts

Not only do the Dutch also really like to watch porn: 10 minutes and 38 seconds is the average time spent per visit on Pornhub – the longest out of all our analysed countries.

United Kingdom: The Drunken Founders

Business & Social Media

The UK is not only the nation with the most start-ups (6042, ca. 1.5 per 15,000 inhabitants), but also the best country for business according to Forbes. 

Expanding internationally: UK - Business Facts

It has the most crypto users on our list with almost 5% of the population being crypto owners, and the most searched job is in sports. 

The UK has the highest total number of Instagram accounts (28,200,000) as well as the highest total number of influencers (251,610). 

Lifestyle

Live music with a drink – that seems to sum up the average British lifestyle. With more than 47,000 pubs and 33,000 festivals, they sure know how to enjoy some epicurean leisure time.

UK - Random facts

It is also worth mentioning that when Britons aren’t partying or working, they enjoy some entertainment on Netflix. There are over 18 million Netflix accounts in the UK, making it the country with the third most Netflix accounts in the world, after the US and Brazil. 

Country overview: Economic & Business Facts
Country overview: Facts about Instagram usage per country, crypto, time spent online

Conclusion

What can you take away from that big amount of numbers and all kinds of facts? Firstly, you need to conduct thorough research before trying to enter a new market. It is not just about the number of businesses and investors that a country has to offer. Cultural aspects have to be taken into consideration, too. 

Second, it is worth thinking outside the box. Different cultures offer different opportunities that you may never have thought were possible. So you may want to have a look at countries you normally would not be taking into consideration when expanding, and you’ll probably discover hidden gems. 

Methodology

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About the Sortlist Data Hub

The Sortlist Data Hub is the place to be for journalists and industry leaders who seek data-driven reports from the marketing world, gathered from our surveys, partner collaborations, and internal data of more than 50,000 industries.

It is designed to be a space where the numbers on marketing are turned into easy-to-read reports and studies.

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