Study Explores Middle East B2C Ecommerce Market

A recently published report by yStats has explored the Middle Eastern B2C ecommerce market. The research found that the United Arab Emirates had the most mature ecommerce market, with the highest levels of online shopping, smartphone, credit card and internet penetration in the region. Saudi Arabia had the second biggest B2C ecommerce market, with mobile ecommerce being particularly popular in the country. Over two-thirds of online shoppers in the country used smartphones to engage in ecommerce. Bahrain has the fastest growing B2C ecommerce market, with the Iranian market also growing at a significant pace. Internet penetration was rising fast in Jordan and Oman, but ecommerce had not taken off in these markets. Less than 20% of Qatari internet users bought online, with high online prices being blamed for the lack of uptake. A similar story was seen in Israel, where lowering prices was also seen as key to increasing rates of ecommerce. Souq was the most popular ecommerce site in the Middle East, with Amazon, eBay and AliExpress also being popular options. 
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