Digital shopper in 2024: The big picture
The digital shopper landscape in the United Arab Emirates continued to experience strong momentum in 2024, supported by a widespread consumer shift towards convenience, personalisation, and technologically enhanced experiences. Growth in e-commerce for both goods and services remained robust, underpinned by rising demand for seamless digital journeys across sectors such as retail, mobility, and foodservice.
M-commerce continues to thrive across major industries
With over 90% of the population using mobile devices, mobile commerce remains the most dynamic and accessible channel for digital shopping in the United Arab Emirates. High smartphone penetration, strong mobile network infrastructure, and an established culture of mobile app usage underpin this growth.
Emerging business models expand from a small base
New digital commerce formats such as social commerce, livestream shopping, and voice-enabled platforms continued to evolve in 2024, although they remain nascent in terms of market penetration. Younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, are increasingly turning to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok not only for entertainment but also as gateways to e-commerce.
What is next for digital shopper?
Digital shopping in the United Arab Emirates is expected to accelerate its transformation over the forecast period, as continued investment in digital infrastructure and strategic partnerships reshape the retail and service landscape. The country’s position as a regional innovation hub, combined with a stable economic environment, makes it an attractive destination for both international players and local start-ups.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Digital Shopper industry in United Arab Emirates with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Learn how technology is impacting digital commerce across a variety of industries, including retail, foodservice, travel, entertainment, mobility and streaming services. Insightful, thought-provoking and forward-looking analysis from top analysts in the space helps you understand the scale and direction of transformation. Data from Euromonitor International's annual Voice of the Consumer: Digital Survey provides you with insights into the consumer perception of tech-driven commerce initiatives.
Analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories across the 20 most important digital shopper markets:
E-COMMERCE (GOOD AND SERVICES) BY MERCHANT TYPE
- Retail E-Commerce
- Foodservice E-Commerce
- Travel E-Commerce
- Mobility E-Commerce
- Ticketed Entertainment E-Commerce
- Streaming Services E-Commerce
- Bill Payments E-Commerce
E-COMMERCE (GOOD AND SERVICES) BY DEVICE AND PLATFORM
- E-Commerce by Device
- Mobile E-Commerce (M-Commerce) by Platform
E-COMMERCE (GOOD AND SERVICES) BY FULFILLMENT MODEL
- Retail E-Commerce: Delivery vs Click-and-Collect
- Consumer Foodservice E-Commerce: Delivery vs Click-and-Collect
EMERGING BUSINESS MODELS
- Social Commerce (S-Commerce)
- Livestreaming E-Commerce
- Voice Platform E-Commerce
- Marketplace Retail E-Commerce
- Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) E-Commerce
If you're in the Digital Shopper industry in United Arab Emirates, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Digital Shopper in United Arab Emirates report includes:
- Analysis of key macro-trend driving digital shifts
- Qualitative context explaining the evolving digital shopper landscape at the national level
- Data from Euromonitor International's annual Voice of the Consumer: Digital Survey highlighting key shifts in consumer use and perception of technology
This report answers:
- What is the future of commerce?
- How is technology changing how consumers shop?
- What do your customers expect from digitally driven shopping experiences?
- What features and options are most desirable among the savviest digital consumers?
- Which emerging channels are critical for expansion efforts in order to win over the digital shopper?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
- How is e-commerce gaining traction with consumers by country, industry or platform?
- How do shopping and spending habits vary by different device types?
- How prevalent are different fulfilment models in the retail and consumer foodservice spaces?
Digital Shopper in the United Arab Emirates
Digital shopper in 2024: The big picture
M-commerce continues to thrive across major industries
Emerging business models expand from a small base
What is next for digital shopper?
Retail e-commerce
Foodservice e-commerce
Travel e-commerce
Mobility e-commerce
Ticketed entertainment e-commerce
Streaming services e-commerce
Bill payments e-commerce
E-commerce by device
M-commerce by platform
Retail e-commerce: Delivery vs click-and-collect
Consumer foodservice e-commerce: Delivery vs click-and-collect
Social commerce (s-commerce)
Livestreaming e-commerce
Voice platform e-commerce
Marketplace retail e-commerce
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) retail e-commerce
DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Digital Shopper
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- First-Party (1P) Marketplace E-Commerce
- Third-Party (3P) Marketplace E-Commerce
- Grocery E-Commerce
- General Merchandiser E-Commerce
- Apparel and Footwear Specialist E-Commerce
- Appliances and Electronics Specialist E-Commerce
- Health and Beauty Specialist E-Commerce
- Home Products Specialist E-Commerce
- Leisure and Personal Goods Specialist E-Commerce
- Other E-Commerce Retailers
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- Fashion E-Commerce
- Health and Beauty E-Commerce
- Appliances and Electronics E-Commerce
- Drinks and Tobacco E-Commerce
- Foods E-Commerce
- Home Products E-Commerce
- Other Products E-Commerce
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- Fashion - Click-and-Collect E-Commerce
- Health and Beauty - Click-and-Collect E-Commerce
- Appliances and Electronics - Click-and-Collect E-Commerce
- Drinks and Tobacco - Click-and-Collect E-Commerce
- Foods - Click-and-Collect E-Commerce
- Home Products - Click-and-Collect E-Commerce
- Other Products - Click-and-Collect E-Commerce
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- Third-Party Delivery - Retail E-Commerce
- Other Delivery - Retail E-Commerce
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- Cross-Border Retail E-Commerce
- Domestic Retail E-Commerce
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- Retail - App M-Commerce
- Retail - Mobile Web M-Commerce
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- Retail - Mobile Phone M-Commerce
- Retail - Tablet M-Commerce
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- Retail PC E-Commerce
- Retail Other Device E-Commerce
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- Foodservice - Click-and-Collect E-Commerce
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- Third-Party Delivery - Foodservice E-Commerce
- Other Delivery - Foodservice E-Commerce
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- Foodservice - App M-Commerce
- Foodservice - Mobile Web M-Commerce
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- Foodservice - Mobile Phone M-Commerce
- Foodservice - Tablet M-Commerce
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- Foodservice PC E-Commerce
- Foodservice Other Device E-Commerce
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- Air Travel E-Commerce
- Car Rental E-Commerce
- Cruise E-Commerce
- Experiences and Attractions E-Commerce
- Lodging (Source) E-Commerce
- Packages E-Commerce
- Surface Travel E-Commerce
- Other Travel Products E-Commerce
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- Travel - App M-Commerce
- Travel - Mobile Web M-Commerce
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- Travel - Mobile Phone M-Commerce
- Travel - Tablet M-Commerce
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- Travel PC E-Commerce
- Travel Other Device E-Commerce
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- Shared Mobility E-Commerce
- Other Mobility E-Commerce
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- Mobility - App M-Commerce
- Mobility - Mobile Web M-Commerce
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- Mobility - Mobile Phone M-Commerce
- Mobility - Tablet M-Commerce
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- Mobility PC E-Commerce
- Mobility Other Device E-Commerce
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- Ticketed Entertainment - App M-Commerce
- Ticketed Entertainment - Mobile Web M-Commerce
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- Ticketed Entertainment - Mobile Phone M-Commerce
- Ticketed Entertainment - Tablet M-Commerce
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- Ticketed Entertainment PC E-Commerce
- Ticketed Entertainment Other Device E-Commerce
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- Streaming Services - App M-Commerce
- Streaming Services - Mobile Web M-Commerce
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- Streaming Services - Mobile Phone M-Commerce
- Streaming Services - Tablet M-Commerce
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- Streaming Services PC E-Commerce
- Streaming Services Other Device E-Commerce
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- Bill Payments - App M-Commerce
- Bill Payments - Mobile Web M-Commerce
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- Bill Payments - Mobile Phone M-Commerce
- Bill Payments - Tablet M-Commerce
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- Bill Payments PC E-Commerce
- Bill Payments Other Device E-Commerce
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- Other - App M-Commerce
- Other - Mobile Web M-Commerce
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- Other - Mobile Phone M-Commerce
- Other - Tablet M-Commerce
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- Other PC E-Commerce
- Other - Other Device E-Commerce
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Digital Shopper
Tracks all sales of goods and services to the public via the internet. Consumer purchases through web platforms are attributed to the country in which the consumer is based, rather than where the merchant is based. Our definition is agnostic as to where the actual payment takes place. If an order is initiated online, we would consider that order to be an e-commerce transaction, even if the order is ultimately paid for in-store, with cash on delivery, by mail via postal cheque, or in person when turning in a ticket and associated payment at a designated ATM or branch facility. Our figures exclude consumer-to-consumer (C2C) and business-to-business (B2B) sales. Business-to-consumer sales (B2C) – in which the business is registered with the government and pays the appropriate taxes – are included. This includes B2C sales on marketplace platforms, which allow many merchants to sell on their website and process the transaction. While both businesses and consumers can sell through marketplaces, only B2C transactions are included in our coverage. Note that online sales from direct selling companies are excluded from our definition. As we are primarily concerned with tracking the importance of the direct selling model (and not where the final sale is made), all sales attributable to a direct selling company will fall into direct selling rather than E-Commerce. Credit or charge card bill payments, mortgages and other loan payments, money transfers, digital person-to-person payments, insurance payments and donations to charities and crowdfunding campaigns are excluded from Euromonitor’s coverage. For C2G transactions, consumer payments made to governments for direct consumption of services and utilities, excluding taxes, fines, and administrative fees, are included. This includes all online purchases made by a consumer to a business for either goods or services regardless of the device (PC, mobile phone, tablet, etc.) used to execute the transaction. It is subdivided into the following eight areas of E-Commerce: Retail, Foodservice, Travel, Mobility, Ticketed Entertainment, Streaming Services, Bill Payments and Other.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
- Explore today's most innovative digital developments
- Track key digital trends, opportunities and threats
- Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions
- Map the future of commerce
This report originates from Passport, our Digital Shopper research and analysis database.
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