UAE’s Non-Oil Sector Maintains Growth Momentum In February Amid Rising Orders And Output

The UAE’s non-oil sector continued its steady expansion in February, driven by an increase in new orders and output levels, according to the latest S&P Global UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report.

Sustained Growth In Non-Oil Activity

The seasonally adjusted PMI stood at 55, marking a strong improvement in the non-oil economy and staying above the long-term average of 54.4. While slightly below December’s nine-month high of 55.4, the reading indicates continued resilience in business conditions.

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Companies surveyed reported robust growth in input stocks, reflecting higher demand. However, challenges such as staffing constraints, delayed payments, and administrative bottlenecks contributed to an increase in backlogged work, although at a slightly lower rate than January’s eight-month peak.

New Orders And Employment Trends

29% of businesses saw increased activity in February, while only 5% reported a decline.
Market demand was supported by stronger advertising initiatives and stable output prices.
Despite growth, competition from local and international players slightly slowed the expansion of order books.
Inventory levels reached their highest in over a year, as businesses ramped up input purchases.

Employment levels remained largely stable, with only a few firms increasing their workforce. While order volumes grew significantly, staffing constraints limited businesses’ ability to scale operations quickly.

Price Pressures And Market Outlook

David Owen, Senior Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, noted that while competition has kept price hikes in check, rising cost pressures have led to a slight acceleration in selling price inflation.

“Firms continue to feel the pressure of intense competition, which has capped price increases,” Owen said. “Nevertheless, businesses are eager to secure new work, leading to a rapid accumulation of backlogged orders.”

Looking Ahead

While the UAE’s non-oil sector remains on a growth trajectory, businesses face challenges related to operational delays and cost pressures. However, sustained demand and increased input investments signal a positive outlook for the coming months.

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Webflow Strengthens Marketing Suite With Acquisition Of AI-Powered Vidoso

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

March 13, 2026

Strategic Acquisition For Enhanced Marketing

Webflow, a leading software platform for website building and hosting, has acquired AI-driven content-generation platform Vidoso to advance its suite of marketing offerings. The move signals Webflow’s strategic shift from being recognized solely as a website builder and CMS provider to emerging as a holistic, agentic marketing platform.

Integrating AI With Content Creation

Vidoso, founded in 2024, uses large language models to help organizations generate marketing materials such as images, presentations, video clips, blog posts and social media content. One of the platform’s features allows users to convert long-form content, including keynote presentations or panel discussions, into shorter formats such as video clips and blog posts. Following the acquisition, Vidoso’s four-person team will join Webflow, and the technology is expected to be integrated into the company’s broader content and marketing tools

Driving Operational Efficiency In A Competitive Market

Webflow has raised more than $330 million in funding and has previously expanded its marketing capabilities through acquisitions and partnerships. Earlier initiatives included the acquisition of personalization platform Intellimize and the launch of integrations with advertising platforms such as Google Ads. The company is operating in an increasingly competitive market as startups develop AI tools for marketing automation. Competitors in this space include companies such as Kana, Hightouch and Blueshift. Webflow CEO Linda Tong said the company aims to build a platform that connects brand management, demand generation, product marketing and content development within a single system.

Closing The Gap With Branded AI Content

Vidoso’s CEO, Sharad Verma, explained that earlier iterations of AI delivered generic content that lacked alignment with individual brand systems. “Frontier models are trained on the average of the internet, not on the specifics of your brand,” Verma stated, emphasizing how Vidoso’s platform addresses this shortfall by ensuring consistent, governed, and production-ready content that aligns with existing marketing workflows.

A Forward-Looking Vision

Webflow views the acquisition as part of a broader shift toward AI-assisted marketing tools that combine content creation with performance insights. According to Tong, integrating these capabilities into a single platform allows companies to create marketing assets while analyzing their performance and refining future campaigns.