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E-commerce in Middle East – Statistics and Trends [Infographic]
December 4, 2019
Ecommerce in MENA expected to reach $28.5 billion by 2022
Estimated Retail E-commerce Sales in MENA
| Year | Retail E-commerce Sales (in Billions) |
| 2016 | $18.67 |
| 2017 | $23.33 |
| 2018 | $28.60 |
| 2019 | $34.69 |
| 2020 | $41.56 |
| 2021 | $49.00 |
Online sales in the Middle East currently equal only a meager 2% of total retail revenue
E-commerce penetration as %age of total retail sales
| Region | E-commerce penetration as %age of Total Retail sales |
| MENA region | 1.9% |
| GCC countries | 3% |
| UAE | 4.2% |
| Saudi Arabia | 3.8% |
| Egypt | 2.5% |
48% of UAE and KSA consumers getting their shopping ideas and inspirations online
Almost 56% of consumers in the UAE, KSA and Egypt start their online shopping journeys using search engines as opposed to retailers’ websites
More than 60% of shoppers in the UAE and KSA and 43% in Egypt have completed an online transaction at least once
62% of MENA online shoppers prefer COD as a payment method when buying online
Top reasons why Middle East consumers prefer to shop online
| Reason | %age |
| Lower prices | 40% |
| Product selection | 31% |
| More convenient than buying instore | 17% |
Almost 90% of online purchases are shipped from abroad
Electronics, Fashion, Beauty and Grocery constitute 80% of MENA e-commerce
GCC shoppers spend USD$150 on average per shopping cart
Sources –
http://istizada.com/blog/e-commerce-in-the-middle-east/
https://www.menabytes.com/ecommerce-mena-2022/
https://www.bain.com/insights/ecommerce-in-MENA-opportunity-beyond-the-hype/
https://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/middle-east-e-commerce-players-cash-in-on-mega-shopping-trends-1.794707
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-145/collections/mena-e-commerce-series-2018-5-insights-driving-regional-e-commerce/
https://www.emarketer.com/Chart/Retail-Ecommerce-Sales-Middle-East-Africa-2016-2021-billions-change-of-total-retail-sales/208746
https://www.capillarytech.com/blog/omnichannel/ecommerce-landscape-in-the-middle-east/
https://www.practicology.com/insights/blog/middle-east-ecommerce-boom