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content on the Internet
E-Commerce
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Case study

Amani Falah al-Harbi

2101513

content on the Internet

As a major new means of global communication, the Internet is bound to have a great
impact on language use. Probably the most feared result, voiced most often in the
Internet's early years, was that the Internet would encourage global use of English to
such a degree that other languages would be crowded out. And indeed, in the mid1990s, fully 80% of international Web sites were reported to be in English. Though no
recent studies have been done on the number of Web sites in each language, the
number of non-English Web sites is by all accounts growing quickly and is expected
to overtake the number of English language Web sites shortly if it has not already
done so.

In spite of this change, English remains a dominant force within certain Internet
realms. A study conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development found that while some 78% of Web sites in OECD countries were in
English, 91% of Web sites on secure-servers were in English, and a fully 96% of
Web sites on secure servers in the .com domain were in English. This is significant
because secure servers (and, especially those in .com) are used for e-commerce.
Presumably then, while a growing number of non-commercial sites are in local
languages, English remains the dominant language of commercial sites.
ONLINE ARABIC CONTENT SOARS
As the number of active internet users among the worlds 630 million Arabic speakers
grows and consumers in the Middle East demand more relevant and locally produced
original material, global online media leaders, including Google and CNN are
investing substantially to boost Arabic language online content.
A report by the global consultancy Booz & Company estimates that the number of
active Arab Internet users will rise to 13 million by 2014, compared with 10 million in
2012. The study also reveals that around 37% of Internet users in the MENA region
are not satisfied with the availability of Arabic websites.
Google notes there has been a great improvement in Arabic online content creation in
the last two years. However, Arabic content still comprises only about 3% of overall
internet content, and there is a huge gap between the number of people who speak it
and the amount of content available online, according to Maha Abouelenein, head of
communications at Google for the MENA region.
CNN recorded a 70% increase in unique users and visitors to its Arabic language
portal, CNNArabic.com, during 2013. Al Jazeera, MSN Arabia and BBC Arabic are
also driving growth in Arabic language news content. Meanwhile Internet giant
Yahoos Middle East portal, Yahoo Maktoob, has revamped both its Arabic and
English content. It promises extensive football coverage in the run-up to this years

FIFA World Cup in Brazil, including exclusive analysis from Chelsea manager Jos
Mourinho, Yahoos football ambassador signing for 2014.
The growth potential for content in Arabic is immense, and the arrival and spread of
Arabic domain names will be a major boost.
The first Arabic top-level domain name, meaning web and transcribed in English as
shabaka, was approved for use in March 2013 by California-based ICANN (the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the global authority that
manages the worlds domain names and IP numbers. Shabaka became generally
available in February 2014, in the anticipation that it will stimulate a new phase for
Arabic content online.
The dotShabaka Registry is a Dubai-based internet technology company behind the
new domain name. Yasmin Omer, general manager of dotShabaka Registry,
explained that while previously search engine users had to type in English and use
web translation to get into Arabic websites, with the introduction of .shabaka, they
could now type in Arabic and get directly into Arabic content. There is no better way
for businesses to demonstrate their affiliation with the Arabic language online than by
registering a domain name, Omer told the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The
National.
As the market for online content in Arabic expands, a growing proportion of the
content is appearing in video rather than text form.
According to a March 2014 survey from Jordan-based Startappz, an app developer
and digital advertising agency, about 93% of the videos produced in the Middle East
are in Arabic. Technology and gaming, news, music and comedy are all popular
categories.
Content producers on Google-owned YouTube are rushing to meet the demand for
Arabic content. With four billion views globally per day and a billion unique visitors
per month, YouTube launched its monetisation policy in 2013 in the UAE, Saudi
Arabia and Egypt. This allows users to earn money from content uploaded.
We have 310 million views a day and have two hours of video uploaded every
minute and most of it is in Arabic, said Diana Baddar, YouTube video partner- ships
manager for MENA. We also have the second largest presence in the MENA region
after the US and thousands of creators creating content in Arabic, which is diverse
and popular.
Top categories for videos produced in the Arabic language are across general
entertainment like comedy, music and movies, according to Google.
Although YouTube offers only visual content, the site could be significant in adding
to the overall online content in Arabic. General Arabic content, regardless of where
it came from, is a plus. It is the right step in increasing Arabic content, said Dr Fayeq
Oweis, a language services manager for Google.

But analysts point out that increasing digital content does not simply mean creating
more websites and mobile apps in Arabic. High-quality content is also required from
producers in traditional industries such as writers, film makers, game publishers and
government bodies.
Education and learning, information services, entertainment and gaming, and social
media are seen as among the most profitable sectors. A report by the US market
research firm Ambient Insight forecast that revenues for selfpaced elearning products
in the Middle East would reach $560m by 2016, with the public and private academic
institutions comprising the regions biggest buyers.
Another area to benefit from the expansion of Arabic content is the Middle Easts
ecommerce market, in which the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the current
leaders. A study by PayPal forecasts that ecommerce across the MENA region will
grow to $15bn by 2015, with 10% of transactions done via mobile devices. The Gulf
has some of the highest rates of smartphone penetration in the world, with the UAE
close to 200%, closely followed by Saudi Arabia.
Annual revenue on smartphone applications in the Middle East is predicted to reach
more than $200m by 2015 as demand for Arabic language applications increases.
In March 2014 the Dubai-based ecommerce site Souq. com raised $75m in funding
from the South African media conglomerate Naspers. Souq will invest part of this
funding on developing its mobile technology, as its founder and CEO Ronaldo
Mouchawar is adamant that the high mobile penetration rates in the GCC region are
providing a major boost to e-commerce.
The deal for a stake in Souq.com valued the company at more than $500m. A Wall
Street Journal commentator described it as another milestone for e-commerce in a
region traditionally averse to transacting online.
Although the private sector has been the driving force behind most Arabic content
produced in the region, multi-million dollar projects to expand electronic government
(e-government) have also created opportunities for content developers. Again, the
lead is coming from the GCC states. All six member countries operate their own egovernment portal. They are now in transition to the next stage, which will see the
rapid expansion of the provision of public services over smartphones and similar
mobile devices.
Finally, another massive expansion of Arabic content is expected to flow from the
various smart city projects that have been launched in the Gulf in recent years: six
in Saudi Arabia, three in Qatar and two in the UAE: Masdar City in Abu Dhabi and
Smart City Dubai.