Dubai, United Arab Emirates, June 02, 2020:    Restrictions imposed to contain the Covid-19 outbreak in the UAE have led to significant changes in consumer behaviours in the country, according to new analysis published by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

 

The study, based on Google Trends data, noted that online grocery shopping became the norm for many consumers in the UAE between March and May 2020. Searches in this category reached a peak during the lockdown period in April, before subsiding in May as consumers continued to purchase from their preferred e-grocery providers through websites and apps.

 

Growing interest in e-groceries 

 

Recent data from MasterCard mirrors this pattern, as it shows that online card payments for groceries in UAE saw a 99% y-o-y growth in February, a 252% y-o-y growth in March, and 316% y-o-y growth in April. Popular search queries that registered the highest increase in search frequency include “online grocery”, and “grocery delivery”.