DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Pattern, a global e-commerce accelerator, surveyed online shoppers in the United Arab Emirates to understand their online buyer behavior, including how they use markets like Amazon and Noon.
Kearney said the results support the UAE's e-commerce market size to grow from $10 billion in 2021 to $17 billion in 2025. Overall, 74% of online shoppers surveyed said they would increase their online spending in 2022. 19% expect the same as in 2021, and only 6% expect fewer.
The findings are included in Pattern's UAE Shopper Report 2022. Research also shows that Amazon and Noon marketplaces have quickly become favorites among online shoppers in the UAE. More respondents are expected to buy online from Amazon or Noon this year in every major product category, including fashion, consumer electronics, home and kitchen, and beauty products, than at other online retailers.
For example, in the consumer electronics category, 61% of online shoppers want to buy from Amazon and 42% from Noon. In contrast, only 14% want to buy online from retailers who have both a store and a website. This pattern is reflected in many other categories. For homes and kitchens, 60 percent want to buy from Amazon, 46 percent from Noon, and only 18 percent buy online from retailers that have stores and websites.
Other key findings reported in Pattern's UAE Shoppers Report include:
UAE online shoppers want fast delivery – 39% of online shoppers expect products to arrive the next day or less. 20% want the product to be delivered to them on the same day they ordered it.
The majority of shoppers buy from Amazon – The vast majority of UAE online shoppers surveyed said they had purchased from at least one Amazon site in the past 12 months, with 83% of them having purchased from the market's local Amazon.ae site. One reason Amazon has a broad customer base may be the strong use of Prime members for fast and free shipping. 67% of Amazon.ae shoppers have their own Prime membership or access someone else's Prime account.
Customers are buying across borders – 89% of respondents said they purchased products delivered online from another country in 2021. This suggests that local retailers and marketplace sellers can increase sales by expanding the range of products that have not yet been sold locally.
Amazon customers discover new brands in the marketplace – The opportunity for consumers to discover new products and brands through Amazon is obvious. 42% of Amazon.ae shoppers surveyed have purchased products from brands they have never bought anywhere before. Pattern's findings suggest that Amazon.ae is an excellent platform for brands to raise awareness among online shoppers in the UAE.
David Quaife, General Manager of MENA at Pattern, said in the report: "The online marketplace has proven to be an important channel for consumer brands to emerge in the UAE. Their popularity will grow further in the coming years. as shoppers look to discover new brands and products, as well as overall online spending and Prime usage forecasts will increase, Amazon.ae; In particular, if consumer brands want to increase sales in the Middle East, they must build a strong presence on this platform. If brands want to maximize their exposure and market share, they should also consider showing up at noon. ”
One Poll conducted a consumer poll among respondents in the UAE at the end of 2021 who reported that they had shopped online in the past 12 months.