Around half of the UAE consumers prefer to shop through e-commerce platform apps, reflecting a mobile-centric trend in shopping habits, according to a new YouGov survey.
Nearly 40 per cent of survey participants choose to use social media e-shops, while 36 per cent favoured web browsers on the smartphone, the market research company said in its survey titled Swipe right for shopping.
Only 31 per cent opted to use the shopping apps owned by the retail brands.
Approximately 27 per cent of those surveyed in the country have more than five shopping apps installed on their phones, with women (42 per cent) outnumbering men (21 per cent).
When it comes to categories, fashion apparel (57 per cent) emerged as the leader, followed by groceries (46 per cent), personal electronics (41 per cent), skincare and beauty (37 per cent) and household electronics (37 per cent).
The survey was conducted online in April 2023 among more than 900 adults in the UAE.
The UAE’s e-commerce market is forecast to generate $17.2 billion in revenue by 2027 and experience an annual growth rate of 8.4 per cent through the next four years, according to Tradeling, a Middle East B2B e-marketplace.
