Payment cards account for over 40% of e-commerce payments in UAE credit: shutterstock.com

Cards remain the most preferred payment tool for e-commerce purchases in the UAE, accounting for 40.8% of online purchases in 2023, according to the 2023 Financial Services Consumer Survey by GlobalData, publishers of EPI.

GlobalData’s E-Commerce Analytics reveals that the UAE’s e-commerce market registered a strong growth of 18.5% in 2022 to reach AED92.4bn ($25.2bn), as an increasing number of consumers shift from offline to online purchases. It is estimated to grow by 16.4% to reach AED107.6bn ($29.3bn) in 2023.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Ravi Sharma, Lead Banking and Payments Analyst at GlobalData, said: “E-commerce in the UAE has registered healthy growth in the past five years, mainly due to rising internet and smartphone penetration coupled with increasing consumer confidence in online transactions. Furthermore, the pandemic accelerated the shift in consumer preference from brick-and-mortar to online channels. Online shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have also supported the growth of e-commerce.”

The UAE government is also taking initiatives to push e-commerce market growth in the country. A free zone for e-commerce companies by the Dubai Free Zones Council (DFZC) is one of them to encourage increased foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector in Dubai.

According to GlobalData’s 2023 Financial Services Consumer Survey, 88% of UAE consumers reported having shopped online in the past six months, while only 5% indicated that they had never shopped online.

GlobalData’s survey also revealed that among various tools used for e-commerce purchases, payment cards are the most preferred, due to the value-added benefits offered by them, including interest-free instalment payments, reward programmes, cashback, and discounts.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Alternative payment tools gather pace

Alternative payment tools are gaining popularity and now rank second, collectively accounting for a 27.7% share of e-commerce transaction value in 2023, up from 24.4% in 2022. Apple Pay, PayPal, and Google Pay are some of the popular alternative payment brands in the country.

Among traditional payment methods, bank transfers are also widely used and account for 19.2% of total e-commerce payments value in 2023. Despite the rise in electronic payments, a notable 12.4% of ecommerce purchases are still paid in cash.

Sharma concludes: “The UAE will continue to witness strong growth in e-commerce sales, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.0% between 2023 and 2027 to reach AED169.5bn in 2027. Among payment tools, while alternative payments are gradually displacing traditional modes of payments, there is still a long way to go before they can disrupt the dominance of payment cards.”