DUBAI: TikTok has launched a new podcast series that looks at the changing face of the retail sector in the Gulf region.

Titled “The Future of Retail,” the shows are hosted by Aref Yehia, TikTok’s head of retail and e-commerce business partnerships for the MENA region.

They aim to shed light on the evolution of retail and will include discussions with some of the biggest names in the industry on the run-up to the annual Black Friday sales event.

TikTok said it wanted to help businesses better understand shoppers’ needs and the opportunities that will shape the future of the industry

“In the past two years, retail has had to evolve and redefine itself probably more than any other industry,” Yehia said.

“While the general conversation might have been triggered by the pandemic, we find that there are far more interesting innovations and developments happening in this space that might have been overshadowed by a virtual versus physical world debate.”

He added: “In reality, there are many horizons to the future. Tomorrow, next year, five, 10 and 20 years from now all present very different versions of the future. We are launching this podcast to explore what the future of retail holds from the different lenses of some of the region’s most interesting and impactful industry leaders.”

Among the guests on the podcasts will be senior executives from companies like Chalhoub Group, Yoox Net-a-Porter, Apparel Group’s 6thStreet.com and Majid Al Futtaim.

After the release of the first episode, new shows will go live biweekly and be available for both audio and video streaming via TikTok channels.