Nearly half of UAE shoppers will stick with online shopping, says Standard Chartered poll

That's against 72 per cent who said they preferred to shop in-person prior to the pandemic compared to less than a third who did so through online channels. Everyday shopping needs are the biggest beneficiaries of this go-online trend. And this will pave the way for the UAE to be a fully cashless society by 2030 – at least, that’s what 64 per cent of those polled in a Standard Chartered survey suggest.

Sonny Zulu, Head of Retail Banking at Standard Chartered UAE: “The UAE is on a fast track in adopting digital banking and cashless payments… and the pandemic has accelerated the digital drive. We see consumers in the UAE, spending more on basics - such as groceries and healthcare - and digital devices than they did prior to the pandemic, and they expect this increase to continue in the future.”

Going frugal

Again, there will need to be lots more of convincing to be done before UAE residents go back to spending freely on their travel and vacation plans. About 68 per cent plan to spend less on these pursuits than they did before the pandemic, while 42 per cent have already spent less on “experiences”, and 64 per cent did so on their clothes.

“This trend is expected to continue in the UAE,” as 38 per cent anticipate spending less on travel/holidays, 22 per cent on experiences and 35 per cent on clothes in the future.

Extended reach out

The study polled 12,000 adults across 12 markets – including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kenya, China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, UAE, the UK and the US – is the second in a three-part series, looking at how COVID-19 has transformed consumers’ way of life. The first survey focussed on the pandemic’s impact on earnings.