eCommerce market in the UAE

The United Arab Emirates is the 45th largest market for eCommerce with a predicted revenue of US$6,721.3 million by 2024, placing it ahead of Colombia. Revenue is expected to show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2028) of 8.7%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$9,378.6 million by 2028. With an expected increase of 9.0% in 2024, the UAE eCommerce market contributed to the worldwide growth rate of 10.4% in 2024. Like in the United Arab Emirates, global eCommerce sales are expected to increase over the next years. Seven markets are considered by ECDB within the UAE eCommerce market. Electronics is the largest market and accounts for 33.3% of the UAE eCommerce revenue. It is followed by Fashion with 30.2%, Grocery with 17.0%, Hobby & Leisure with 8.4%, Care Products with 3.8%, DIY with 3.7%, and Furniture & Homeware with the remaining 3.7%.

Market development

eCommerce revenue development in the UAE

The United Arab Emirates is the 45th largest market for eCommerce with a predicted revenue of US$6,721.3 million by 2024, placing it ahead of Colombia. Revenue is expected to show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2028) of 8.7%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$9,378.6 million by 2028. With an expected increase of 9.0% in 2024, the UAE eCommerce market contributed to the worldwide growth rate of 10.4% in 2024. Like in the United Arab Emirates, global eCommerce sales are expected to increase over the next years. Seven markets are considered by ECDB within the UAE eCommerce market. Electronics is the largest market and accounts for 33.3% of the UAE eCommerce revenue. It is followed by Fashion with 30.2%, Grocery with 17.0%, Hobby & Leisure with 8.4%, Care Products with 3.8%, DIY with 3.7%, and Furniture & Homeware with the remaining 3.7%.

eCommerce revenue development in the UAE

in million US$

eCommerce revenue growth in the UAE

in %

Net eCommerce revenue split by sub-category

in %
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
Revenue (in mUS$) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Growth (in %) 91.8 34.5 79.8 48.4 16.1 14.0 47.2 61.6

Online share

eCommerce online share in the UAE

The online share refers to the proportion of the retail volume that is transacted via the Internet. It includes purchases via desktop PC, tablet or smartphone, both via website or app. Only retail of physical goods is taken into account. In the UAE retail market, the online share is 14.4% and will increase by an average of 3.4% to 16.5% by 2028.

eCommerce online share in the UAE

in %
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
Online share (in %) 83.1% 42.6% 4.9% 87.6% 39.9% 12.0% 79.2% 14.9%

Top stores

Top five online stores in the UAE by net sales 2023

The biggest player in the UAE eCommerce market is amazon.ae. The store had a revenue of US$636.4 million in 2023. Store rankings include every store that generates revenue in the United Arab Emirates. These stores can either have a national focus and only sell in their main country or operate on a global scale. For this evaluation, only revenue created in the United Arab Emirates was considered.

eCommerce net sales generated in the UAE in 2023

in million US$
Filtered revenue / share
Global revenue
Growth
US$900.0m
20.7%
US$8,300.0m 8.3%
US$550.0m
12.0%
US$4,600.0m 12.4%
US$470.0m
3.9%
US$1,190.0m 33.6%
US$430.0m
20.6%
US$2,122.0m 18.0%
US$370.0m
20.7%
US$1,814.0m 12.6%

Payment Methods

Top 5 offered payment methods in the UAE eCommerce market

With 96.2% VISA the most commonly offered payment method of all online stores in the UAE eCommerce market in 2023. Like VISA Mastercard with a share of 96.2% and American Express with a share of 49.0% the payment type Cards is the most common used by online retailers in in the UAE eCommerce market in 2023. Other commonly used payment methods in that market are Cash on delivery (Cash on delivery) with 71.2% and PayPal (E-wallets) with 36.5% of stores offering that payment method to the clients.

Top 5 offered payment methods in the UAE eCommerce market

in %

See all stores offering