UAE Business: E-commerce enters high-growth stage in Mena: report – Gulf Digital News

UAE Business: E-commerce enters high-growth stage in Mena: report – Gulf Digital News

E-commerce in the Mena region has settled into a stable, high-growth era, with 91% of respondents of a survey regularly shopping online.

Data from leading global payment solutions provider Checkout.com’s report: Digital Transformation in Mena 2022, proves that the e-commerce trends accelerated by the pandemic are here to stay. The report surveyed over 15,500 shoppers across the Middle East and North Africa.

Ecommerce penetration

In the past three years ecommerce has grown faster in the Mena region than anywhere else in the world, with an estimated 209 million consumers transitioning to online shopping during the height of the pandemic.

Now, with the pandemic’s lockdowns over, the number of ecommerce shoppers in Mena only continues to grow. According to the report, 91% of respondents said they regularly shop online, up from 87% in 2021. Further, more than half (52%) of Mena residents said they shopped more frequently this year, up from 47% in 2021.

On a more local level, looking at the GCC, we see that 9% of consumers are spending money online at least once per day, which is a 50% increase in the past 12 months.

These positive trends are set to continue, with 88% of respondents across Mena saying they will increase their online