Online retail sales in the UAE is expected to cross $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter of this year as Covid-19 pandemic drives users to increasingly shop online, according to a new report.
This compares to $1bn worth of retail sales in the last quarter of 2019 and $1.3bn in the third quarter of this year, RedSeer Consulting said in its latest report.
Much of this growth in online sales is being driven by groceries.
Online grocery sales is expected to grow more than 260 per cent annually in the fourth quarter to reach $300 million. The consultancy expects 85,000 e-grocery orders per day in the three months to December, compared to 20,000 orders in the fourth quarter of last year.
During the stay-at-home restrictions, the volume of online grocery sales in the UAE went up by almost 500 per cent compared with before the lockdown
“Grocery is a high frequency item, unlike fashion or electronics which people typically spend on only once in a quarter,” said Sandeep Ganediwalla, managing partner, RedSeer MEA. “Because customers could not delay their food purchases during the stay-at-home restrictions, the volume of online grocery sales went up by almost 500 per cent compared with before the lockdown.”
One in three online orders in the fourth quarter this year is expected to be for groceries. Among various categories, online grocery is tipped to be the biggest gainer, accounting for 20 per cent of the total market share this year, up from 9 per cent in 2019.
“Quick commerce players like Talabat and Instashop controlled less than 5 per cent of the e-grocery market before Covid-19, but now account for 10 per cent of total value and 20 per cent of volume in the online grocery market,” Mr Ganediwalla said.
Two-thirds of UAE consumers made their first online grocery purchase due to stay-at-home measures this year, according to the Visa CEMEA Impact Tracker.
This also resonates with a PwC survey of 501 Middle East consumers in July, which found that about half of those polled are now doing their food shopping online or by phone. Of those that shop online, 92 per cent said they will continue purchasing digitally even after the pandemic is over.
Although electronics will be the slowest growing category in online retail sales during the fourth quarter, it is estimated to account for online sales worth Dh650m in the fourth quarter, according to RedSeer Consulting.
“Although online electronics growth is slowing down, it continues to be a bellwether category, with around 40 per cent share of the overall online retail segment. To put this in context, this is more than twice the contribution that the electronics category contributes to the overall [online and offline] retail sales,” Mr Ganediwalla said.
He estimated that customers would prolong their buying cycles on high-ticket electronics items such as mobile phones. “We expect accessories such as headphones, covers, chargers, etc., to drive the volume during this festive sales season.”
Online fashion sales in the UAE are expected to increase to $450m in the fourth quarter, an increase of 50 per cent compared to $300m in the same period last year, the report showed.
“This category will see increased growth on the back of pent-up demand after a muted Ramadan. People are expected to loosen their purse strings and make impulse purchases,” Mr Ganediwalla said.
Top selling products in the online fashion sector are expected to be clothes and watches, followed by shoes.
The RedSeer report added that UAE’s total retail sales, online and offline combined, in the last quarter are expected to be higher than Ramadan sales.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
