Alex Fedotoff@FedotOff90
110 million people.
Youngest population in the Middle East and North Africa — median age 24.
Meta CPMs under $1 in most health and beauty niches.
And I can count the number of Western DTC brands running proper funnels there on one hand.
Egypt.
Egypt's ecom market is growing at 20%+ year over year. The country has 82 million+ internet users and climbing fast. Facebook is the dominant social platform by a massive margin — over 45 million active users. Instagram is growing rapidly among the 18-35 demographic that has money to spend.
Here's what makes Egypt different from other emerging markets:
The population is enormous AND concentrated. Cairo alone has 22 million people. Alexandria has 5 million. You can reach 30 million people in two cities with a single ad set.
The beauty and personal care market is booming. Egyptian consumers — especially women aged 20-40 — are spending aggressively on skincare, supplements, and wellness products.
The logistics used to be the dealbreaker. Not anymore. Companies like Bosta and Mylerz now handle last-mile delivery across major Egyptian cities with 2-3 day shipping windows. Cash-on-delivery is still common (around 60% of transactions), but digital payment adoption through services like Fawry and ValU is growing fast.
Translation into Arabic is required — but if you've already localized for the UAE or Saudi Arabia, the same Arabic creative works in Egypt with minor dialect adjustments.
Setup cost: roughly $2,000-$3,500 for Arabic translation, local payment integration, and a fulfillment partner in Cairo.
CPMs under $1. CACs in the $3-7 range. A $25-$40 AOV product adjusted for local purchasing power can be highly profitable when your acquisition cost is that low.
110 million people and almost nobody from the Western DTC space is there. That's Brazil-level opportunity in a market 3 years earlier in the adoption curve.
If you're Egyptian-American or have any connection to the Arab world — this market is sitting there waiting for someone who understands both the culture and the direct response playbook. Be that person.