Recent developments in the international housing market, particularly in Dubai’s luxury real estate sector, have led to an increasing presence of Iranian buyers and changes in their purchasing behavior patterns. Identifying these patterns can provide a foundation for intelligent decision-making in marketing and sales. Insight-driven smart marketing is a data-based approach that analyzes customers’ behaviors and preferences to generate actionable insights for effective marketing decisions. Accordingly, this study aims to design a framework for the buying behavior of Iranian customers of luxury residential apartments in Dubai, using a qualitative approach based on the Strauss and Corbin grounded theory.

A judgmental sampling method was applied to ensure that the collected information was valid and relevant to the research topic. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with two groups: construction industry experts in Dubai with at least 15 years of professional experience and familiarity with the Iranian community, and university professors in marketing with at least 15 years of teaching and research experience in consumer behavior. A total of 14 interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was achieved. After transcription, 345 initial codes and 95 concepts were identified, which were refined to 288 codes and 56 concepts after validation. Open, axial, and selective coding were then performed, resulting in 15 subcategories and six main dimensions categorized into conditions, interactions, and consequences.

The findings revealed that factors such as investment returns, asset protection, luxury architecture, design quality, and long-term residency opportunities had the greatest influence on purchasing decisions. The results extend previous studies and provide new insights into the behavior of Iranian buyers in luxury housing markets.