Commerce Couch

Sohail Sayed
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  • Entrepreneurship
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Commerce Couch is where the Middle East’s DTC and eCommerce founders share how their brands are actually built. Hosted by Sohail Sayed, each episode goes inside the decisions behind consumer brands: growth, marketing, product, pricing, branding, retention, retail, mistakes and the messy parts nobody posts about. Built for founders, operators and anyone trying to understand what it really takes to grow a brand in the UAE, GCC and Middle East.

  1. 5d ago

    How CTZN Built a Brand Celebrities Actually Wanted to Wear

    What does it take to build a consumer brand that makes the buying decision easier for the customer? Aleena Khan, Co-founder of CTZN Cosmetics, believes having a great product is only half the job. The real work is helping customers find the product that's actually right for them. In this episode, Aleena breaks down how CTZN researches products, designs its customer journey, thinks about influencer marketing, evaluates collaborations, and uses customer data to build a more personalized beauty experience. In this episode, you'll learn: ✓ Why having 50 shades means nothing if customers can't find their shade ✓ How CTZN used a simple 200-person survey to decide what product to build first ✓ How an e-commerce quiz helped increase average order value ✓ Why customer retention matters more than constantly acquiring new customers ✓ How to find influencers who can actually influence buying decisions ✓ How CTZN got its products in front of celebrities without paying for placements ✓ When a collaboration can hurt your brand — even if it brings thousands of orders ✓ Why the biggest opportunity in beauty may not be another product, but better product discovery Chapters 00:54 – Finding the Right Product to Build 03:07 – Make the Customer’s Decision Easier 05:43 – Turn Personalization Into Higher AOV 08:03 – Stop Selling “Best Sellers” to Everyone 09:42 – The Hidden Cost of Customization 15:16 – Validate Demand Before You Build 22:40 – How CTZN Got Beyoncé Without Paying for It 31:19 – Finding Influencers Who Actually Matter Follow us on social media 👇 Instagram LinkedIn #commercecouch #consumerbrands #beautybrands #ecommerce #dtc #brandbuilding #founderjourney #cosmetics #beautymarketing #influencermarketing #customerexperience #ecommerceconversion #ctzncosmetics #middleeaststartups

    How CTZN Built a Brand Celebrities Actually Wanted to Wear

  2. Sep 9

    1 Million/Month Ad Budget: Where Would You Spend It?

    What if your ads aren’t the problem? According to Faisal Anwer, Founder of Brandslane, most brands blame their ads when the real problem is everything happening before and after the click. In this episode, Faisal breaks down the fundamentals of performance marketing, from why CPM can determine whether a product can scale at all, to how brands should structure a 1M AED/month ad budget, when an ad is actually ready to scale, and why obsessing over ROAS can stop you from building a real business. He also gets into AI-powered creative testing, ad fatigue, Middle East-specific consumer behaviour, and what founders often misunderstand about working with agencies. Here's what you'll learn: ✓ Why your ads might not be the problem ✓ The first metric Faisal checks before touching an ad account ✓ How to structure a 1M Dirhams monthly ad budget ✓ How persona testing unlocks new audiences ✓ When an ad is actually ready to scale ✓ Why ROAS isn’t the ultimate growth metric ✓ How AI is transforming creative testing ✓ What brands are getting wrong about Middle East advertising Chapters: 04:02 – Your Ads Aren’t the Problem 06:31 – Why CPM Can Kill Your Product 12:23 – Reverse-Engineer Your Competitors 14:33 – How to Spend 1M Dirhams on Ads Without Wasting It 24:15 – When Should You Actually Scale a Winning Ad? 31:03 – Why ROAS Can Be Killing Your Business 38:48 – The AI Creative Framework: Test Faster, Not Just Better 42:44 – The 2 Things That Kill Ad Performance 47:26 – The Middle East Advertising Playbook: DMs, Vernacular & Snapchat 51:28 – What Agencies Don’t Tell Founders Follow Commerce Couch Instagram LinkedIn #commercecouch #performancemarketing #dtcads #paidads #facebookads #metads #brandbuilding #growthmarketing #roas #creativeTesting #aiMarketing #ecommercegrowth #middleeastbusiness

    1 Million/Month Ad Budget: Where Would You Spend It?

  3. Aug 5

    Why Walking Away Was the Better Deal | Sahar Karoubi, Founder of Bambuyu

    What if your next big business wasn't a new invention... but a better tissue box? Sounds crazy, until you hear Sahar Karoubi's story. After spending 15 years in digital marketing, Sahar left the corporate world to build Bambuyu, a sustainable tissue brand in one of the most crowded product categories out there. Today, the brand is sold across D2C, Amazon, quick commerce, and retail, has appeared on Shark Tank Dubai, and has built a loyal customer base without trying to outspend the big players. In this episode, you'll learn: ✓ Why copying your category is the fastest way to become invisible ✓ The biggest mistake founders make before entering retail ✓ The exact order every D2C brand should expand its sales channels ✓ Why Shark Tank money isn't always the right money ✓ How to compete when your competitors have 100x your budget ✓ The simple product tweak that unlocked quick commerce for Bambuyu ✓ Why your first year shouldn't be about scaling at all ✓ If you had just ₹10,000 to grow your business, here's where Sahar would spend it Chapters 00:42 Why Would Anyone Start a Tissue Brand? 03:59 The Branding Decision That Made Bambuyu Stand Out 12:52 Why Sahar Waited Almost 5 Years Before Going to Retail 19:40 Amazon, Noon or Retail? Where Should You Sell First? 26:35 What Really Happens on Shark Tank 31:06 How Bambuyu Competes With Billion-Dollar Brands 36:25 Advice Sahar Wishes Every FMCG Founder Knew 42:11 If She Started Bambuyu Again, She'd Do This Differently Follow Commerce Couch Instagram Linkedin Bambuyu is a UAE-based brand making tissues from 100% bamboo instead of traditional tree pulp. The company focuses on combining sustainability, premium quality, and thoughtful design, proving that even the most everyday products can become brands people genuinely care about. #commercecouch #brandbuilding #consumerbrands #d2c #startup #founder #fmcg #retail #quickcommerce #marketing #ecommerce #sharktankdubai #uaestartups

    Why Walking Away Was the Better Deal | Sahar Karoubi, Founder of Bambuyu

  4. Jul 13

    What If Your First Sale Doesn't Matter?

    What does it actually take to build a consumer brand that survives beyond launch? Abdulkader(AK) Lamaa, founder of Oneshot, believes launching a brand is the easy part. The real challenge begins when you have to earn repeat customers, build trust, secure distribution, and create a brand people come back to. After spending 15 years in management consulting, AK spotted a massive shift towards healthier lifestyles and local brands across the Middle East. That insight led him to build Oneshot, a hydration brand designed specifically for the region. In this episode, he breaks down the research, product strategy, community-first marketing, and customer obsession behind building a modern consumer brand. In this episode, you'll learn: ✓ Why retention matters more than first-time sales for any consumer brand ✓ How to identify untapped opportunities before entering a crowded market ✓ The framework Oneshot used to build a product people actually stick with ✓ Why community beats advertising when you're competing with bigger brands ✓ How to validate product ideas using customer feedback instead of assumptions ✓ The biggest mistake founders make after launching a physical product ✓ How to evaluate sponsorships and events using measurable ROI ✓ Why speed and rapid iteration beat perfection in the early stages Chapters: 02:04 – Finding White Space in a Crowded Market 06:43 – Inside the R&D Process Behind a Consumer Brand 15:33 – Why Most Consumer Brands Die After Launch 19:05 – The Marketing Strategy That Beat Bigger Competitors 22:44 – Why Community Beats Paid Marketing Every Time 26:05 – How to Know If Your Sponsorships Are Actually Making Money 33:16 – The Number That Decides If Your Business Lives or Dies 44:35 – Choosing the Right Co-Founder Could Save Your Company Follow Commerce Couch Instagram Linkedin #commercecouch #consumerbrands #hydrationbrand #cpgmarketing #communitymarketing #retentionmarketing #productstrategy #brandbuilding #founderjourney #middleeaststartups #d2cbrand #fmcg

    What If Your First Sale Doesn't Matter?

  5. Jul 7

    How Waggish Got Subway and Cinnabon to Ask for Their Design Style | Shark Tank Dubai

    Every Waggish product starts with something people already know: a saying, a dialect, a food memory, a joke, or a feeling they grew up with. Raghad Murad is the founder of Waggish, a design-led brand turning Arab culture, humor, and everyday references into products people collect, gift, and proudly identify with. In this episode, we explore how she built a creative brand with a distinct visual identity, organic growth, major brand collaborations, and a community that feels deeply connected to the work. In this episode, we talk about: ✓ A simple framework for turning cultural insights into products people actually want ✓ Why consistency matters more than chasing the next big idea ✓ The real business model behind running a profitable creative brand ✓ How Waggish grows through organic content instead of paid marketing ✓ Building products people want to collect, gift, and share. ✓ Small changes that increased average order value without increasing prices ✓ Creating a community that feels emotionally invested in your brand ✓ Practical advice for creatives looking to turn their ideas into a business Chapters 03:20 – Why Palestine Produces So Many Great Designers 05:57 – The Framework Behind Every Waggish Product 08:06 – The Product That Went Viral (And Got Death Threats) 11:09 – The First Year of Building Waggish 12:53 – How Subway & Cinnabon Found Waggish 19:23 – Turning Creativity Into a Business 30:30 – Why Waggish Launches New Products Every Week 33:14 – The Instagram Strategy Behind Waggish 35:24 – The Secret Behind Building a Cult Brand Follow Commerce Couch Instagram Linkedin #commercecouch #waggish #creativeentrepreneur #organicmarketing #contentstrategy #founderstory #arabdesign #arabculture #middleeastbusiness #uaestartups #dubaifounders #creativebusiness

    How Waggish Got Subway and Cinnabon to Ask for Their Design Style | Shark Tank Dubai

  6. Jul 6

    What Luxury Buyers Really Want Every Founder to Understand | Magana

    In this episode of Commerce Couch, we sit down with Omar Chaoui, Founder of Magana, an independent watch brand born in Dubai with Moroccan roots. Omar shares how Magana is building around a bigger idea than watches: time. We explore luxury psychology, brand positioning, the modern Middle Eastern consumer, solo-founder challenges, customer experience, and what it takes to build meaning in a category dominated by heritage and craftsmanship. If you're a founder, marketer, or brand builder, this episode offers practical lessons on differentiation, trust, and building a consumer brand with a clear point of view. In this episode, you'll learn: ✓ Why your brand needs a clear point of view before the product ✓ How to stand out in a category where everyone sounds the same ✓ What luxury buyers are really looking for beyond price and status ✓ Why the Middle Eastern consumer has more depth than many brands assume ✓ How strong after-sales service builds trust and retention ✓ What solo-founder loneliness really looks like behind the scenes ✓ Why conviction matters before the numbers catch up ✓ How Magana connects time, culture, community, and mindfulness Chapters 01:04 – Corporate career, setbacks, and becoming an entrepreneur 08:07 – What watches represent psychologically 10:11 – Why Magana talks about time instead of craftsmanship 15:48 – Community, belonging, and emotional brands 19:24 – Culture, togetherness, and mindfulness 28:48 – Solo-founder loneliness, bootstrapping, and consistency 33:20 – The modern Middle Eastern luxury consumer and customer experience Follow Commerce Couch Instagram Linkedin #commercecouch #luxurywatches #brandbuilding #consumerpsychology #entrepreneurship #founderjourney #dubai #middleeast

    What Luxury Buyers Really Want Every Founder to Understand | Magana

  7. Jun 30

    When Raising Prices Increased Demand I Omer Elrayah I Founder at RemoBrush

    In this episode of Commerce Couch, I sit down with Omer Elrayah, founder of RemoBrush, a dentist-turned-founder building a modern oral care brand inspired by the centuries-old miswak. Omer shares how he took an idea from his dental practice and turned it into a product, the challenges of manufacturing and patenting, why customer feedback convinced him to increase his prices, and how selling toothbrushes at AI events became one of his most effective growth channels. We also discuss customer retention, organic content, sustainability, community-driven growth, and what it takes to build a physical product brand from scratch. 📌 What You'll Learn • How to validate a product idea by solving a problem you've seen firsthand • Why educating customers can be your biggest advantage when introducing a new category • How early customer feedback can shape product development and pricing • Why selling in person is one of the fastest ways to learn and acquire customers • How exhibiting at AI and community events helped RemoBrush stand out and drive sales • What type of organic content actually converts viewers into customers • How to improve retention through product expansion, bundles, and subscriptions • Why sustainability became the strongest purchase driver for RemoBrush customers ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Introduction & The Story Behind RemoBrush 06:58 How a Dentist Turned Miswak Into a Modern Product 10:29 Manufacturing, Patents & Early Challenges 11:48 Launching RemoBrush & Getting the First Customers 14:24 Getting the Product Into the Hands of Influencers 17:43 Why Selling Toothbrushes at AI Events Works 20:20 The Organic Content Strategy Behind Early Growth 25:01 Retention, New Products & Repeat Purchases 33:34 Advice for First-Time Founders #CommerceCouch #DTC #Ecommerce #Entrepreneurship #BrandBuilding

    When Raising Prices Increased Demand I Omer Elrayah I Founder at RemoBrush

  8. Jun 30

    The Launch Strategy That Sold 500 Games in an Hour I Patrick Saber I Co-Founder at Panic Zones

    What does it take to turn a simple card game into a fast-growing consumer brand? In this episode of Commerce Couch, we sit down with Patrick Saber, CEO and Co-Founder of Panic Zones, a tabletop gaming company building immersive social experiences from the Middle East for a global audience. From spending three years developing and testing a single game with over 600 people to selling 500 units in the first hour of launch, Patrick shares the behind-the-scenes journey of building Panic Zones from an idea among friends into a growing gaming brand. We talk about product development, community building, launch activations, retail distribution, DTC growth, content marketing, and why physical experiences matter more than ever in a world dominated by screens. In this episode, you'll learn: ✓ How Panic Zones spent three years and 30+ iterations building its first game ✓ Why testing with 600 people was crucial before launch ✓ How a community-led activation helped sell 500 units in the first hour ✓ What founders should know about manufacturing, certifications, and product compliance ✓ How Panic Zones approaches retail partnerships and shelf placement ✓ Why Instagram outperformed TikTok for community building and conversions ✓ How to think about DTC, Amazon, and marketplace sales together ✓ The role of branding and packaging in driving purchases ✓ Why physical games are thriving in an increasingly digital world ✓ Three key lessons for founders building consumer brands today Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:56 – Meet Patrick Saber and the story behind Panic Zones 03:07 – Why build a business in the gaming industry? 04:08 – What makes a game replayable? 06:00 – 30 iterations, 600 testers, and 3 years of development 06:48 – Using feedback and data to improve the product 08:14 – Turning a game into a business 08:50 – Manufacturing, certifications, and launch preparation 11:05 – The community activation that drove early sales 13:10 – Instagram vs TikTok for growth 14:08 – Breaking into retail stores 16:52 – DTC vs Amazon and marketplaces 18:24 – Positioning against established competitors 21:16 – Building retention and brand loyalty 23:18 – What customers are really buying 24:36 – Why physical games matter in a digital world 26:25 – Three lessons for founders 28:31 – Closing thoughts #commercecouch #paniczones #tabletopgames #boardgames #cardgames #consumerbrands #founderjourney #ecommerce #retail #communitybuilding #startupstories #entrepreneurship

    The Launch Strategy That Sold 500 Games in an Hour I Patrick Saber I Co-Founder at Panic Zones
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About

Commerce Couch is where the Middle East’s DTC and eCommerce founders share how their brands are actually built. Hosted by Sohail Sayed, each episode goes inside the decisions behind consumer brands: growth, marketing, product, pricing, branding, retention, retail, mistakes and the messy parts nobody posts about. Built for founders, operators and anyone trying to understand what it really takes to grow a brand in the UAE, GCC and Middle East.

Information

  • Creator
    Sohail Sayed
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sohail Sayed
  • Show Website
    Commerce Couch