Middle East consumers are increasingly shopping online: PwC

Published 21 Jul,2020 via bizbahrain - PwC released the results of their GCIS COVID-19 Pulse – a snapshot survey that analyses how consumer behaviour and habits have changed due to the lockdown and social distancing measures. The survey takes an in-depth look at consumers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah and Cairo and highlights how the region is adapting to the new normal compared to other key countries across the world.

While 62% of the Middle East survey respondents said they had experienced a decrease in household income due to redundancy or reduction in hours – the highest proportion of any territory surveyed – almost half (49%) expect to spend more over the next few months. In comparison, just 33% of consumers in other territories surveyed are looking to spend more than before COVID-19 – other territories that took part in the survey are China, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. In the region, consumers in Cairo seem most optimistic with 64% planning to spend more in the next few months, compared to 39% of consumers in Dubai.

The region had a strong immediate response to COVID-19 – 76% of Middle East consumers agreed that their city had been well prepared to deal with the impact of COVID-19 – far more than the 46% for all territories. Furthermore, 81% of Middle Eastern respondents agreed that their city has been managing the pandemic effectively, compared with 56% across all territories.