Press Release

'The MasterCard Worldwide Online Shopping survey, which is conducted annually, serves as a benchmark that measures consumers' propensity to shop online. The research sheds light on consumers' online shopping habits including their purchase intent, bridges and barriers to online shopping as well as items typically purchased online.'

Online And Mobile Shopping On The Rise In The UAE
42% of UAE Shoppers Access the Internet for Online Shopping While 12% Turn to Mobile Shopping: MasterCard Survey 

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Dubai, 26 April 2012: Online shopping is growing increasingly popular in the UAE, according to the results of a recent MasterCard survey. Results of MasterCard's survey on online shopping behavior revealed that 42% of UAE shoppers accessed the internet for online shopping in 2011; up from 33% in 2010. The survey also found that shopping via mobile phones is increasing, with 15% of consumers surveyed planning to do so in the coming months.

The survey found the greatest proportion of online spend is occurring on airline sites, with 78% of UAE respondents preferring to purchase tickets online rather than at traditional outlets. Other leading categories are apps (76%), coupon/deal sites (68%) and music download sites (64%).

On average, 33% of respondents who visit retailer websites when online shopping indicated that they visit luxury or high-end goods sites. The survey also found that the most popular online purchasing website for UAE  respondents is Emirates Airlines (10%), followed by Cobone (8%) .

Raghu Malhotra, division president, Middle East & North Africa, MasterCard Worldwide said: 'The UAE is undoubtedly the retail hub for the Middle East and it is not surprising that the country has one of the fastest rates of adoption when it comes to innovative trends such as online and mobile shopping. It is encouraging to note that UAE consumers are increasingly looking to shop online in order to capitalize on the efficiency, safety and convenience of online shopping channels.'

Attitude Towards Online Shopping

In terms of attitudes towards online shopping, 65% of respondents indicated that they prefer a hotline for enquiries when shopping online. Additionally, 62% of consumers who shop online said that they tend to read online reviews of products before purchasing, and 62% of consumers who shop online said that they tend to go to the same sites when they have used them before. However, 43% of consumers in the UAE still do not feel secure shopping online.

Amongst the top factors impacting online shopping, respondents chose price/value of the items (85%), secure payment facility offered by site (85%), convenient payment methods (82%), reputation of the website (81%) and website being user-friendly (79%).

In addition, 79% of consumers plan in advance about products or services they will shop for before going online. Consumers'research is mostly done through general internet browsing (67%), exploring merchant websites (58%) and talking to friends or family members (43%).

Other Key Findings:

1. Cross-border Shopping: The survey also found that respondents spend 32% of their time on foreign retailers'websites. Respondents are most likely to purchase airline tickets (26%) and clothing/accessories (11%) from these foreign websites. In contrast, the main barriers to cross-border shopping were consumers'perceptions that products are available locally (48%), buying locally is more convenient (45%) and that buying locally is cheaper (45%). 

2. Mobile Shopping: In terms of mobile shopping trends, the survey indicates strong potential for growth in the UAE, as 12% of individuals surveyed made purchases through their mobile phones in recent months. Apps (36%), cinema (24%) and airline (23%) were the top three categories purchased by consumers in the UAE through their mobile phones. Among those who did not purchase through their mobile phones recently, an additional 15% of respondents are likely to do so in the coming months.

3. Ethical Spending: The MasterCard survey also explored the reasons and channels for 'responsible' purchasing. It found that approximately 50% of individuals purchased items in the last 2-3 years because of one or more ethical reasons, like products based on fair trade principals or if products are environmentally friendly. Approximately 35% of individuals who purchased items because of ethical reasons did so online.

The survey was conducted from 05 December 2011 to 06 January 2012 and reached 12,500 consumers from 25 markets[1] across APMEA. The survey and its accompanying reports do not represent MasterCard financial performance.

NOTE TO EDITORS: More information and previously released MasterCard survey results can be found at www.masterintelligence.com.

Index on Online Shopping

The MasterCard Index on Online Shopping targeted 500 respondents, aged 18-64 years old, per market. All respondents were part of the banked population, access the internet at least once a week and are representative in terms of age and gender of the online population in that market.

The survey was conducted online between 5 December 2011 and 6 January 2012 in 25 countries, including: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, U.A.E., Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar, Vietnam, KSA, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Nigeria and Kenya.

Please note that there is no 2010 data available for Vietnam, KSA, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Nigeria and Kenya, as they were not part of the 2010 study. Please also note that there is no 2009 data available for Indonesia and Qatar, as they were not part of the 2009 study.

The 2011 report included new sections-Shopping Through the Smart Phone; Cross-border Shopping and Ethical Spending.

MasterCard and its Suite of Research Properties Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa

The MasterCard Worldwide Index suite in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa includes the long-running MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence, as well as the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women's Advancement, Online Shopping, Index of Financial Literacy, and the Index of Global Destination Cities. In addition to the Indices, MasterCard's research properties also include a range of consumer surveys including Ethical Spending and a series on Consumer Purchasing Priorities (covering Travel, Dining & Entertainment, Education, Money Management, Luxury and General Shopping).

MasterCard also regularly releases Insights reports providing analysis of business dynamics, financial policies and regulatory activities in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. Over 80 Insights reports have been produced since 2004.
 
MasterCard has also released a series of four books on Asian consumer insights, authored by Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Global Economic Advisor for MasterCard Worldwide and published by John Wiley & Sons.

About MasterCard

MasterCard (NYSE: MA) is a global payments and technology company.  It operates the world?s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard's products and solutions make everyday commerce activities-such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances-easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Learn more at www.mastercard.com, follow us on Twitter @mastercardnews or join the conversation on The Heart of Commerce Blog.

Contacts:
Nadia Ejaz; GolinHarris-Dubai; Tel:  +971 4 3323308; Email: nejaz@golinharris.com
Jandr? Nieuwoudt; GolinHarris-Dubai; Tel:  +971 4 3323308;  Email: jnieuwoudt@golinharris.com