About 82% of UAE residents shopped online in the past three months, survey says

Dubai: About 82 per cent of residents in the UAE have shopped online in the past three months, and the top on the list was airline ticket spends followed by hotels, consumer electronics, a survey revealed.

The extent of availability of consumer goods to purchase online is the biggest driver for choosing the mobile option, according to the findings of the survey.

The survey also revealed that residents are willing to adapt to new technologies, which provides a huge opportunity for a payment provider such as MasterCard, to bring innovative payment solutions to the market.

“From a merchant’s point of view, banks and other financial institutions in UAE are driving the growth of the e-commerce industry by eradicating barriers to e-commerce and developing customised payment solutions that facilitate the acceptance of online payments for both large and small businesses,” said Aaron Oliver, head of emerging payments — Middle East and Africa, MasterCard.

The company recently announced a partnership with Bank Audi to launch NFC contactless wearables to consumers in Lebanon. MasterPass, a digital wallet service, was launched in the UAE in November 2014.