UAE e-commerce in 2026: bigger baskets, mobile-first shoppers and slower growth
The UAE online retail market reached AED 42.2 billion in 2025. Growth is now settling into single digits, shoppers are spending more per order, and most buying happens on a phone. What that means if you sell online.
Key takeaways
- The UAE e-commerce market reached AED 42.2 billion in 2025 after growing about 19% a year since 2020 (EZDubai and Euromonitor).
- Growth is forecast to slow to about 9.9% a year, reaching around AED 67.2 billion by 2030, with online sales passing 20% of retail.
- In the first half of 2026, UAE shoppers placed fewer orders but spent more per order, and mobile accounted for 53% of online purchases (Admitad data, via Khaleej Times).
The size of the market
The sixth annual e-commerce report from EZDubai, produced with Euromonitor International and published in September 2026, puts the UAE e-commerce market at AED 42.2 billion (about USD 11.5 billion) in 2025. That is up from AED 17.6 billion in 2020, a compound growth rate of around 19% a year.
Online sales made up about 15.7% of all retail sales in 2025. Apparel and footwear was the largest category at AED 11.4 billion, followed by consumer electronics and home care.
Growth is slowing, and that changes the game
The same report forecasts growth of about 9.9% a year from 2026 to 2030, taking the market to roughly AED 67.2 billion, with online sales expected to pass 20% of retail by 2030.
Single-digit growth is still healthy, but it changes the competitive dynamic. When a market doubles every few years, almost every seller grows. When it grows by under 10% a year, sellers grow mainly by winning customers from each other. Conversion rate, product content and repeat purchase become the levers that matter.
Fewer orders, bigger baskets
Order-level data shows how shoppers are adapting. Analysis of more than 2.5 million GCC online orders by Udora and Admitad, reported by Khaleej Times in July 2026, found that UAE gross merchandise value rose 2% in the first half of 2026 while the wider GCC fell 9%. UAE orders dropped 9%, but the average order value rose from USD 97 to USD 111.
Promotions played a large role. More than half of online transactions used a coupon or promo code, and the average discounted order rose from USD 89 to USD 122. Shoppers are buying deliberately, waiting for value, and then buying more at once.
Mobile is now the default
Orders placed on smartphones rose 20.5% year on year in the same period, and mobile accounted for 53% of all online purchases. A store that is merely acceptable on mobile is now underperforming on its main channel.
What sellers should do in 2026
- Design for the phone first. Product pages, images and checkout should be judged on a mid-range phone, not a desktop monitor.
- Plan promotions, do not just react to them. Build a calendar around the moments UAE shoppers buy, and protect margin with bundles rather than blanket discounts.
- Raise basket size on purpose. Bundles, accessories and free-delivery thresholds suit shoppers who already buy in larger, less frequent orders.
- Invest in listing quality. In a slower-growing market, better titles, images and A+ content take share from competitors on Amazon, noon and Carrefour.
- Own some of your demand. Marketplaces bring traffic, while your own store and customer list bring repeat purchases at a better margin.
Marketplace or your own store?
Most UAE sellers end up using both. The question is which job each one does.
| Marketplaces (Amazon, noon, Carrefour) | Your own store | |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic | Built-in demand from shoppers already searching | You bring the traffic through search, social and ads |
| Margin | Lower, after commissions, fees and advertising | Higher per order once traffic costs are covered |
| Customer data | Limited; the platform owns the relationship | Yours, so you can market to repeat buyers |
| Best for | Discovery, new products and price-led categories | Repeat purchase, bundles and brand building |
A practical split for many brands is to use marketplaces for reach and launch velocity, and to use your own store and customer list to earn the repeat purchases that protect margin.
Notes from selling electronics online
Running our own store has made a few things very clear. Electronics shoppers compare specifications closely, so product pages need complete, accurate specifications, clear images of ports and accessories, and plain warranty information. Bundles that pair a device with the accessories people actually need tend to suit shoppers who are already placing larger, less frequent orders. And because promotions drive so much of the market, the calendar of sale events deserves the same planning as the product range itself.
Where Old Port fits
We see these patterns first hand. Our e-commerce division, oldportsolutions.com, distributes our own Gaatly brand and retails laptops and accessories from brands including Dell, HP, Lenovo and ASUS. Electronics is one of the UAE's largest online categories. If you sell online, our e-commerce and marketplace service applies the same lessons to your store.
Questions and answers
How big is the UAE e-commerce market?
About AED 42.2 billion (USD 11.5 billion) in 2025, according to EZDubai and Euromonitor International, and forecast to reach about AED 67.2 billion by 2030.
What share of UAE retail is online?
About 15.7% of total retail sales in 2025, forecast to exceed 20% by 2030.
What are the biggest online categories in the UAE?
Apparel and footwear was the largest in 2025 at AED 11.4 billion, followed by consumer electronics and home care.
How much UAE online shopping happens on mobile?
In the first half of 2026, mobile accounted for 53% of online purchases, with smartphone orders up 20.5% year on year, according to Admitad data reported by Khaleej Times.
