Delivery issues in UAE holding back online shopping, consumers say

ABU DHABI // Research shows the lack of a standard address system in the UAE is holding back consumers from using the internet for shopping.

Twenty five per cent of UAE residents said they never or will rarely shop online as it is too inconvenient to receive shipments.

Thirty-six per cent said when they buy on the web, they go to a depot or central post office to collect their purchase. A third said collecting can take more than two hours, with a few respondents to the London Heathrow Airport study saying they spent more than five hours trying to locate their parcel. Sixteen per cent said their order ended up being returned because it could not be delivered or collected.

Fearing that something could go wrong, 35 per cent said they have their purchases delivered by friends or family when visiting the UAE, the online YouGov study of 1,099 UAE residents showed.

Unless residents set up a PO box at Emirates Post and pay for delivery, it is not possible to have mail delivered to their home.

Most resort to having mail delivered to their workplaces.