The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, TRA, announced 'Online Grocery' that includes the purchasing application of 22 online stores in the UAE, noting that this is a preliminary list and will be subject to updates in the coming days.
The online stores included in the list include large shopping centres and cooperatives, in addition to grocery stores, meat and vegetable shops, and other services.
The start of the current year has seen solid activity in the online shopping sector, indicating a high demand from consumers to shop on the internet.
This growth in online consumption is expected to surge in the coming months, which will raise the value of online commerce to over US$19.77 million in 2020, as per several specialist studies, including a report issued by the Ministry of Economy.
The results of a survey carried out by the Department of Economic Development in Dubai last year showed that 66 percent of its participants trust online shopping while 70 percent trust online payments.
The UAE is classified as one of the leading countries in terms of having developed communications and digital services infrastructure, and the majority of its official and private institutions are adopting solutions to provide services based on technological solutions, whether through smartphones or social media.
Online food and beverage sales in the UAE recorded a cumulative annual growth of 21 percent from 2015 to 2018, according to data prepared by Wilson, the strategic market research company, which gathers and analyses sales data.