The concerns of individual consumers, from piracy on their fi�
nancial data or fraud, represent an obstacle for the success of e-
commerce operations, which has recorded an increasing growth
in the Emirati market. According to specialists in the field, 70% of
electronic shoppers in the UAE prefer paying the value of their pur�
chases in cash upon delivery while 30% pay through their credit
cards or direct debit from their bank accounts.
A number of CEOs in e-commerce
companies attribute such individual
consumer concerns to their fear to-
wards information security provided
nowadays by such websites and the
guarantees they offer. They point
out that the spread of fraud on many
fake e-commerce websites may be
the cause for such viewpoint of con-
sumers.
Arnold Shahrour, the CEO of Souq.
com, said that the percentage of
online shoppers in the UAE has
reached 60% of the total internet
users in the country, which is more
than 70% of the total population. This
means that 42% of the UAE popula-
tion shop online, out of which 70%
70% of individual buyers prefer payment upon delivery
Electronic
Commerce…
A growth hindered by consumers’ lack of confidence
Reportage
