[ad_1]
Shoppers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are the most mobile-centric omnichannel consumers in the world, according to a new survey. PYMNTS and Visa Cyber​​Source; visapayment gateway and risk platform.
Mobile phones have become central to the arsenal of digital payments, an essential tool that continues to make online and offline payments smoother, more efficient and more transparent.
Despite worldwide adoption, the authors’ latest survey, ‘Global Shopping Index 2022: UAE Edition‘ took a regional snapshot of the mobile phone business in one of the most promising markets in the Middle East.
The survey, conducted in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, the UAE, the UK and the US, delves into the details of how the UAE e-commerce market differs from the rest of the world’s major economies and what those differences mean for businesses.
The survey surveyed 13,114 consumers and 3,100 merchants from these six countries to reveal how shopping preferences in the UAE differ from those in other countries.
It also looks at the most desirable shopping and payment features among local shoppers, and how well local merchants meet customer needs.
It found a strong preference among UAE consumers for a mobile shopping experience; this is just one of many characteristics that make the country’s e-commerce market unique on the world stage.
Data shows that 72% of in-store shoppers in the UAE are more likely than others to use a smartphone to enhance their shopping experience.
This enhancement may involve using the device to search for product information or compare prices from other merchants.
The survey highlighted smartphones as an integral part of the UAE in-store and remote shopping experience.
65% of UAE consumers have used a smartphone at some point during their recent retail journey, whether they were shopping in-store or remotely online.
This makes them 52% more likely to use a smartphone at any time for any reason than the average consumer in all six countries studied in the report.
About 60% of consumers use a smartphone for in-store purchases, while less than one-third make their last purchase entirely from a smartphone.
“UAE shoppers’ strong preference for mobile commerce touches all aspects of their shopping journey, including their in-store shopping experience,” said Dr. Saeeda JaffarVisa’s Senior Vice President and GCC Regional Group Country Manager.
“In a market where the cashless journey is steadily advancing, meeting the needs of these mobile-centric shoppers is critical to the success and growth of a business.”
How are merchants reacting to this smartphone trend?
As the survey shows, UAE merchants are struggling to provide a mobile-enabled retail experience.
Merchants in the country have been found to be more likely than any other country to offer mobile-based capabilities to their brick-and-mortar shoppers.
Following this trend, seven in 10 merchants are offering cross-channel digital profiles, giving consumers access to their identity and payment information in-store and online.
In other words, UAE merchants are 10% more likely than the average merchant in all six countries to provide digital profiles that their shoppers can access in-store and online.
While merchants in the country are doing a good job of offering the cross-channel shopping features consumers want, the survey found that the quality of these products is not quite up to par.
For example, consumers who ordered items from their smartphones prior to in-store pickup experienced 35% more shopping friction than the survey average.
Still, shoppers who use these features when shopping in-store experience 10% less friction than shoppers who don’t use them at all.
So while the UAE appears to be leading the way when it comes to the mobile shopping experience, the survey clearly shows there is room for improvement.
“With the country’s growing interest in online and mobile shopping, responsible digital retailers are looking to improve their systems to provide their customers with a seamless and secure shopping experience,” Jaffar continued.
“These statistics allow retailers to identify challenges and adapt to consumers’ mobile preferences to ensure their retail journey is safe and frictionless.”
[ad_2]
Source link