According to a report prepared by
a the international internet payment
company “PayPal”, e-commerce rev-
enues in the UAE market came close
to AED 11 billion during the past year.
It is also expected to score a growth
of AED 18.7 billion by 2015 support-
ed by the spread of smartphones, as
the UAE comes first with the highest
international rates of use and spread
of this modern type of phones.
The report attributed the increasing
growth of this type of commerce to
the broad and diverse range of prod-
ucts, discount rates, the added value
offered on price, and the speed and
convenience of the purchase.
Elias Ghanem, PayPal’s Regional
Director, said that despite the suc-
cessive increasing rates recorded by
e-commerce, data and information
on the internet represent a source
of concern for online shoppers, as
they fear falling victims of fraud by
virtual bodies, or not receiving their
purchases, or above all that they get
a product which does not conform
to what is on the website. He also
mentions that the company, through
its practical experience in the Middle
East region and the surveys it has
conducted, concludes that 40% of
electronic shoppers in the region
identify data and information security
as their main concern.
Mohamed Sharaf, President of Te-
jari.com, a website supported by
the Department of Economic Devel-
opment in Dubai, agrees that con-
sumers’ fear of fraud and their lack
of confidence in online information
security represent the main obstacle
for the success and spread of bodies
working in that field. Thus Tejari en-
sures setting several guarantees for
consumers most importantly offering
a seven day return and exchange
policy in case the product does not
conform to the order.
He adds that several information
security technologies have been ad-
opted for several commercial move-
ments and exchanges on the inter-
net, which ensures confidentiality of
consumers’ financial data and con-
tributes to the increase in payment
operations through credit cards;
“Visa” and “Master Card”. He also
points that the website offers cer-
tificates of guarantee, similar to the
ones offered by regular stores, for
periods ranging between six month
and a year for some products.
A report issued recently by Euromon-
itor International expects that online
shopping in the UAE would set a new
record in growth that exceeds 90%
during the five coming years. It at-
tributes this growth to the intensified
educational campaigns launched by
responsible bodies in this sector to
raise consumers’ awareness about
the most trusted e-commerce web-
sites and the security technologies
offered to protect consumers’ data.
The report indicates that fashion
and technology currently dominate
the largest percentage of online pur-
chase orders, regardless of payment
methods.
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
The growth of electronic
commerce in the Middle East
Information security
represents a concern
for 40% of shoppers
in the region
15 billion $
12.8 billion $
11.2 billion $
9 billion $
7 billion $
Reportage
