The UAE shopper has always been demanding. Now that shopper is also mobile-first, AI-assisted and quick to walk away. As digital shopping becomes routine, retailers are no longer competing on access alone. They are competing on how effortless, personal and trustworthy every step feels.

A Market That Has Raised the Bar

For UAE shoppers, the phone is now central to how they buy. The PYMNTS Global Digital Shopping Index 2025, commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, found that 67% of UAE shoppers used a smartphone for their most recent purchase. That is up 23% since 2022, and the UAE topped the index’s global ranking for mobile shopping.

Expectations have risen with that speed. In VML’s Future Shopper 2025 study, 62% of UAE shoppers said they will not shop with a retailer, brand or marketplace that does not match their expectations of online shopping. Loyalty, in other words, is earned one experience at a time.

What UAE Shoppers Expect Next

An assistant, not just a search bar. AI has moved quickly from novelty to habit. Adyen’s 2025 Annual Retail Report found that 70% of UAE consumers now use AI to support their shopping, a 44% increase on 2024. A Visa survey of 1,000 UAE adults in October 2025 put the figure at about 8 in 10. Shoppers are asking for recommendations, comparisons and ideas, and they expect brands to be ready to answer.

Trust before automation. Using AI is not the same as trusting it. Shoppers may welcome AI suggestions, but they still want to know why a product is being recommended and whether the information behind it is accurate. Retailers who earn that trust, with clean product data and honest recommendations, will be best placed for the next stage of discovery.

Shopping where they scroll. Social platforms are now a serious sales channel. The DHL E-Commerce Trends Report 2025 found that 86% of UAE consumers have already made a purchase through social media, with 69% buying through Facebook and 68% through Instagram. The line between content and commerce is fading fast.

Payment on their terms. Choice at checkout is no longer a nice extra. The PYMNTS index found that 32% of UAE shoppers have adopted biometric authentication, against a global average of 17%. Checkout must be fast, secure and flexible all at once.

Delivery and returns that just work. The same DHL report found that 84% of UAE shoppers said they would abandon a purchase if their preferred delivery option was unavailable, and 85% would do so if the returns process fell short. Logistics has become part of the brand.

The Store Still Matters, Differently

Digital growth has not made the store obsolete. Adyen found that 34% of UAE consumers still prefer physical stores, against 27% who prefer online. The top reasons were the chance to see and feel a product (39%) and to try it on (36%). The PYMNTS index found that 53% favour a blend of online and in-store experiences.

The store’s role is changing, though. With so much research now happening on the phone, the store becomes the place to confirm, experience and collect. Retailers who connect inventory, pricing and service across both worlds give shoppers the freedom to switch without friction.

Where Retailers Can Focus

• Clean, rich product data so brands surface accurately in AI assistants and marketplace search.
• Social storefronts that let shoppers move from a video to checkout in a few taps.
• Flexible payments including BNPL, wallets and biometric checkout.
• Delivery and returns as a promise, with clear timelines and hassle-free collection.
• Loyalty built on value, not only points. In the PYMNTS index, loyalty programmes topped the UAE’s most desired retail features, cited by 75% of consumers.

What Comes Next?

The next UAE shopper will expect retail to anticipate rather than react. They will ask an assistant before they search, pay in the way that suits them, and judge a brand as much by its delivery and returns as by its products. The retailers who win will not simply be the fastest or the cheapest. They will be the ones that make every interaction feel effortless and earned.

Where These Conversations Continue

Edition after edition, Scribe Minds & Media has brought retail and e-commerce leaders into one room through BIGBOX. The platform has held editions in Dubai in September 2024 and September 2025, alongside events in Saudi Arabia, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.

Marking the 10th edition of BIGBOX, BIGBOX UAE – A Global Retail & E-commerce Summit returns on 3 February 2027 at Conrad Dubai. The summit is designed for CEOs, CMOs, CTOs, customer experience leaders and other senior retail and e-commerce leaders shaping how the region shops.

Register now to be part of the conversation.

Visit Website: https://www.bigboxsummit.com/uae2027/