It’s that time of year.

Across the MENA region, from Dubai to Riyadh and right here in Beirut, e-commerce teams are in their war rooms. The objective? To win “White Friday” (or Black Friday).

For 90% of businesses, the battle plan is dangerously simple: “Let’s boost all our posts on Instagram and run a huge ads campaign.”

I’m here to tell you that this strategy is no longer just expensive. It’s a recipe for failure.

You’re about to enter a digital bidding war against everyone, driving your ad costs (CPCs) through the roof. You’ll be spending a fortune just to shout at a crowd that is already being shouted at by a thousand other brands.

The 2025 playbook has changed. It’s not about reach; it’s about conversion. And in our region, conversion doesn’t happen on a website click. It happens in the chat.

If you want to win, you have to stop thinking like an advertiser and start thinking like a conversationalist. Here’s the chain of thought we’re building for our clients to do exactly that.

1. The Hook: Stop Saying “Link in Bio”

Your first mistake is your call-to-action (CTA).

“Link in bio” is high-friction. It asks your customer to stop what they’re doing, leave the app, navigate your profile, find the link, click it, wait for your website to load… you’ve already lost them.

Instead, your new strategy starts on TikTok and Instagram Reels. You’re going to use influencers and your own brand to create high-energy “try-on,” “unboxing,” or “deal reveal” videos.

But the CTA is completely different. It’s: “Comment ‘DEAL’ below, and we’ll send you the secret link.”

This does two powerful things. First, it’s frictionless for the customer. Second, the flood of comments signals to the Instagram and TikTok algorithms that your post is popular, giving you more free organic reach. You’re making the algorithm work for you.

2. The Automation: From Public Comment to Private Chat

This is where the magic happens. The instant a user comments “DEAL,” your system fires.

Using an AI-powered tool, you automatically send that user a direct message. This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a helpful, immediate response.

The message says something like: “Hey! So glad you’re interested in our White Friday deal. To get you exclusive access and make sure you don’t miss any flash sales, we’re handling all our VIPs on WhatsApp. Click here to chat with us directly!”

This is the most important step. You are moving the customer from a “rented” platform (Instagram, where you’re just one of many DMs) to an “owned” channel: their WhatsApp.

Now you have a direct, permanent, and personal line of communication with a high-intent customer, safe from any algorithm changes.

3. The Close: Your 24/7 AI Sales Agent

The customer is now in your WhatsApp, and your AI-powered sales agent takes over. This is not an ignorant, clunky chatbot. This is a sophisticated sales closer.

It instantly confirms the deal they were interested in. But it doesn’t stop there.

• It Upsells: “Awesome. That jacket is in your cart. You know, most people who buy that jacket also grab our new waterproof wallet, which is 50% off only when you bundle them. Want to add it?”
• It Answers Questions: It can handle 80% of queries (“Do you deliver to Jeddah?” “What’s the return policy?”) 24/7, so you never miss a sale at 2 AM.
• It Closes with BNPL: This is the final, critical piece for the MENA market. When it’s time to pay, the AI doesn’t just send a link. It offers them their preferred payment options directly: “You can pay with a card, or use Tabby or Tamara to split it into 4 payments.”

By integrating “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) services, you remove the last point of friction and dramatically increase your conversion rate.

Stop Shouting, Start Selling

Let’s recap the old, failed strategy: You yell at a million people on Instagram, hope 1% of them click your “link in bio,” and pray that 1% of them actually buy.

Now, look at the new strategy:

• You create an engaging video that invites a conversation.
• You use AI automation to move that conversation to a personal, owned channel (WhatsApp).
• Your AI salesperson converts, upsells, and accepts payment via their preferred local method (BNPL).

This Black Friday, you have a choice. You can join the “shouting match” and waste your budget on expensive clicks. Or, you can build an automated, conversational funnel that turns social media scrollers into high-value customers.

The choice is yours.

Ready to make AI data-driven decisions for your brand?

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