A shift from the norm - UAE e-Commerce Consumption During Ramadan

A review of the top e-commerce rising and declining categories in the UAE
By Suzi Kuban, Featured in Campaign Middle East.

This year, the Holy Month of Ramadan fell during the height of COVID-19 restrictions in the UAE. The pandemic has changed our lives in many ways, particularly the way Muslims observed this time of year. By taking a look at the top rising and declining e-commerce categories, by sales, we can get a glimpse into how typical behaviour of UAE residents has changed.

Key findings:

• The top 5 growth categories are Water, Nuts & Seeds, Cell Phones, Household Cleaning and Batteries.
• The top 5 declining categories are carpet cleaners and deodorisers, printers and scanners, tablets, hand care and chocolate.
• Water sales grew by 36%, making it the best performing online category. The cost if water online is typically lower than physical stores, plus the convenient as it can be delivered to the door.
• Third growth category is Cell phones at 23% growth, which are always a top-performing e-Commerce product.
• Chocolates are an unusual category to be featured on the declining list during Ramadan. A typical gift exchanged in previous years, the 30% decline in sales could be a result the enforce rule of banned mass gatherings.

A full review of findings can be found here