DUBAI, 14 August 2006 — The UAE has the second highest number of recreational shoppers in the world who shop once a week for “something to do” or for “entertainment”, says a recent online shopping study from ACNielsen, the global leader in research and marketing information.
According to the ACNielsen Online Consumer Confidence Survey conducted in 42 markets, 30 percent of consumers in the UAE go shopping “at least once a week”. This figure was only second to Hong Kong which stands at 36 percent. To further emphasize the UAE’S love of shopping for entertainment, the combined UAE percentage of respondents who shop for “something to do” either “twice a week or more”, “once a week”, “once a month”, or “less than once a month” was recorded among the top 10 worldwide, at 84 percent.
“With the emergence of a new middle class and opportunities for spending in the UAE, it is understandable that there is huge enthusiasm about shopping,” said Piyush Mathur, managing director, ACNielsen MENAP region. “Another key factor is the weather conditions. With nearly six months of hot temperatures, people seek indoor entertainment, usually in a mall or hypermarket. This has driven a growing trend in ‘shopertainment’.”
“The key to success in retailing is to understand what makes shopping entertaining and make sure that the shopping experience maximizes the shoppers’ pleasure. Recreational shoppers are not only motivated by sales or discounts, but also by the entire shopping experience. They want to have the freedom to explore a store,” explained Mathur.
“Retailers can take advantage of the opportunity presented by this big pool of recreational shoppers by positioning their brands so that shopping is seen as an ‘experience’ or an ‘event’ rather than a chore,” he added.
The survey also highlighted another form of recreational shopping emerging called “therapeutic shopping”, which can be described as venturing into the marketplace in pursuit of an emotional or psychological uplift.
In the UAE, an average of 49 percent of consumers regarded clothes shopping as a necessary chore which ranked highest worldwide, whilst 13 percent of shoppers think its therapeutic to shop for clothes, which rated the lowest amongst the rest of the countries in the study.
When questioned about their attitude toward grocery shopping, an average of 72 percent of consumers in the UAE think that regular grocery shopping ranks as necessary, and that only 10 percent rate it as therapeutic.
The ACNielsen Online Consumer Confidence Survey is aimed at evaluating consumers’ current confidence levels, spending, habits, intentions and current major concerns.
Conducted twice a year, the most recent wave of the survey polled over 23,500 consumers, comprising regular Internet users in 42 markets.
