From groceries to devices, UAE customers are more and more going digital

UAE customers are more and more turning to on-line channels for all the pieces from weekly grocery purchases to electronics and family devices, reshaping how manufacturers and retailers have interaction with customers throughout the nation.

According to NielsenIQ’s newest Q2 2026 shopper market report, e-commerce stays one of many fastest-growing retail channels within the UAE, reflecting a broader shift in the direction of digital procuring as customers search comfort, wider selection and aggressive pricing.

The UAE’s on-line FMCG market grew 26.4 per cent within the second quarter, with e-commerce’s share of gross sales rising from 11.9 per cent to 14.1 per cent. The pattern extends past groceries, with on-line gross sales of expertise and sturdy items throughout the UAE and Saudi Arabia rising by greater than 19 per cent.

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For customers, the change means buying habits have gotten more and more digital, whether or not shopping for meals staples, drinks, tablets or dwelling home equipment. NielsenIQ mentioned wider product assortments, value transparency, shopper evaluations and simpler entry to new merchandise are making on-line procuring extra mainstream.

While supermarkets and bodily shops stay a key a part of the retail panorama, significantly for fast purchases and product experiences, digital channels are enjoying a rising position in discovery, comparability and repeat purchases.

The report additionally discovered that demand is more and more concentrated in particular product classes slightly than being unfold evenly throughout the market. In the UAE, ambient meals and drinks have been the strongest-performing FMCG classes, recording worth development of 8 per cent and seven per cent respectively, alongside robust quantity good points. Snacking, dairy, frozen meals and paper merchandise additionally posted optimistic development.

Among expertise merchandise, classes linked to connectivity, productiveness and comfort are performing strongly, together with shopper electronics, media tablets, workplace gear, headsets and vacuum cleaners.

The UAE FMCG market recorded total development of 5.4 per cent in the course of the quarter, supported by quantity enlargement and contributions from each conventional retail and e-commerce channels.

Split in spending habits

Another notable pattern is the rising cut up in spending habits. While many customers proceed to hunt bargains and reasonably priced options, others are keen to pay extra for merchandise they understand as providing higher high quality, innovation or efficiency. Premium manufacturers accounted for 62 per cent of the expertise and durables market within the UAE, whereas the worth phase additionally expanded barely. Premium merchandise have been additionally the fastest-growing phase in FMCG.

Andrey Dvoychenkov, General Manager Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan at NielsenIQ, mentioned: “The UAE and Saudi Arabia consumer markets are entering a more nuanced phase of growth, where winning is no longer simply about being present in a growing market. Consumers are becoming more digital, more selective and increasingly polarised in how they spend.”

He added: “We are seeing strong opportunities in e-commerce and high-growth categories, while premium and value propositions gain ground simultaneously. For brands, the priority is to understand where demand is moving, tailor strategies to the realities of each market, and create an omnichannel experience that delivers both relevance and value.”