Can Instagram Turn Dubai’s Hidden Shops Into Hits?

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

It's the Morning Drive, social media, next, and influencing and more. It's full of hidden retail gems, but how do you discover them?

And what happens when social media puts them on the map? So what I want to do is have a look at how digital influence can maybe change the fortunes of local businesses, and they're helping us to do that. Emilie Hill is here, she is an independent brand influencer. She's the founder of Context Studio, and what she does is spotlights perhaps the less-known retail destinations across Dubai. It's good to have you here.

Emilie Hill (0:37)

Hello, thank you.

SPEAKER_1 (0:39)

So when you say hidden gem, or when I say hidden gem, but obviously this is part of your business, what kind of place are you picturing?

Emilie Hill (0:48)

Well, to be honest, my account, my content, has centered around more interiors. It's a personal passion of mine. I don't like that phrase, but it has been. It's just something that you like. Yeah, absolutely. And to be honest, I was in a corporate position. My background is in publishing.

I was the editor of a big consumer brand here. And when I left, I went back to what I enjoyed doing in terms of creating content. FMB, you mentioned, it's big business here, and I respect that. But my soul, if you like, were the kind of retail spots. And so I really went back to that and finding these hidden gems, as you've said. The characteristics of these places, they tend to be on the smaller side and have that physical presence, if they can. Typically in Alcoz, I feel like Alcoz is the place where everyone...

SPEAKER_1 (1:46)

It's hidden gem central.

Emilie Hill (1:47)

100%.

So to be honest, it's those places that you step in and think, oh my goodness, I would love to tell my friend about it. That's really how I go about it. And at the beginning, they very much centered around the interiors, but it can be pretty much anything with that independent feel.

SPEAKER_1 (2:04)

Okay. So these are the places where you hear about them. You don't really see them advertised. You might see a couple of pictures on social media or something, but these are the ones that, I don't know, you're sitting having a cup of coffee with somebody, and it's, did you hear about...

Emilie Hill (2:19)

Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_1 (2:20)

Those are the sort of...

Emilie Hill (2:21)

100%. Or I'm a little bit of an investigator. It's very much a full-time job.

And I have a spreadsheet, the whole thing. And yes, as soon as someone mentions to me, I am writing it down because I think I need to remember this place. Or the power of social, it's incredible. You're constantly served newness of what's going on around you. So I'm saving, I'm bookmarking, you name it. So yes, very much kind of boots on the ground, but also seeing what my algorithm is showing me and how can I uplift it further.

SPEAKER_1 (2:55)

And that's how you discover these places. And word of mouth and-

Emilie Hill (2:59)

Driving around in my car.

SPEAKER_1 (3:01)

Really? Yeah, honestly. And you're just looking around for, oh, park, jump in. Totally.

Emilie Hill (3:05)

And I think because I guess my background is journalism, you need to do the work yourself. You can't just be relying on all those sources. And of course I do, but the difference I like to think with me is that often I'm told, I had no idea about this place. And if someone says that to me after I've posted, I think I've done it properly.

SPEAKER_1 (3:28)

Do you feel like there's a bit of a change going on? Dubai is known for being this place with incredible shopping malls. And what the shopping malls offer, you can go to a mall here and ride a roller coaster. You can ski. I mean, there's all sorts of stuff you can do. So it is amazing. But really and truly, most of the malls have pretty similar brands, few different offerings, but it's kind of the same, which is fine.

But it seems to me that there is a bit more attention. There's certainly more interest, I think, in the smaller independent retailers, the homegrown stuff, the people doing something different. Am I...?

Emilie Hill (4:02)

No, I bang on. Especially, I lived in London for 10 years. And yes, you've got those mainstream stores there too. But there was such a lovely, I guess, hobby-esque approach to shopping in not just London, but the UK, of the high street and supporting those brands. And Dubai is built up of many different types of people and consumers, and if I'm talking about the expat, I think we still have that deep-rooted, that we want to support good.