Middle East B2C E-Commerce Market Report 2018-2020

DUBLIN, March 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Middle East B2C E-Commerce Market 2018" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Middle East B2C E-Commerce Market 2018, reports on the growth of online retail in nine countries of the region. Improvements in infrastructure and increased Internet connectivity are among the factors pointing to near-term growth of B2C E-Commerce.

The countries of the Middle East are seeing rapid growth of online retail sales, as the report shows. In the UAE, top market in the region, B2C E-Commerce sales doubled between 2015 and 2017, with a projection of further growth at annual rates of above +20% through 2021. The neighboring Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is expected to see even higher growth rates and overtake the UAE as the largest online retail market of the Gulf by the turn of this decade.

The combined E-Commerce sales of the Gulf countries are expected to more than double between 2017 and 2020. The main growth drivers include high rates of Internet connectivity among population, reaching above 90% in countries such as Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE. Furthermore, more than nine in ten consumers in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia owned a smartphone.

Other countries of the region also enjoy strong development in B2C E-Commerce. In Iran, less than 1% of total retail sales are currently online, but this share could triple over the next two years, as a higher share of relatively large population gains Internet access and embraces the benefits of online shopping. In Lebanon, the online travel sector is still larger than online sales of physical goods, although apparel overtook airline tickets as the most popular online shopping category.

The retail E-Commerce, however, has some room for growth as local online retailers rise to rival cross-border competitors such as AliExpress and Amazon. Overall, the attraction of international online marketplaces is strong across the Middle East, and is especially pronounced in Israel, where more than one-third of all B2C E-Commerce sales stem from international sites which consumers prefer due to lower prices.

A number of barriers still remain on the Middle East's path to online retail boom. These include the prevalence of cash on delivery over other payment methods and consumer wariness of safety of E-Commerce and online payment transactions. Furthermore, a number of countries lack a unified address system which, on the one hand, creates challenges for last-mile delivery and, on the other, forces delivery companies to innovate, such as use mobile apps to verify the customer's exact location. Local governments also pursue various initiatives to improve logistics and payment infrastructures and support the growth of E-Commerce.

Retail E-Commerce sales in the countries of the Middle East are projected to increase significantly between 2017 and 2020. The main impulse for the rapid growth is increased Internet penetration, already surpassing 90% in many nations of the region. Shoppers are also warming to the idea of online shopping, though the tradition of brick and mortar shopping remains strong. Forecasts cited in the publication indicate an annual cumulative growth rate that will result in the doubling of online retail sales by 2020 compared to 2017 for the Gulf countries.

In addition to the preference for in-store shopping, other barriers to development of online retail in the Middle East include a preference for cash payment and challenges with last mile delivery. Nevertheless, most countries covered in the publication are responding to the efforts of international merchants such as Amazon.com and AliExpress.com as well as local online retailers including Souq.com to promote online shopping.

Key Questions Answered

• How is online retail evolving across the Middle East?
• What are the leading B2C E-Commerce markets in the Middle East?
• What are the projections for retail E-Commerce sales in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and other countries?
• Which key trends affect the development of online retail in the Middle East?
• Who are the leading E-Commerce competitors in this region?

Key Topics Covered:

1. Management Summary

2. Regional

3. UAE

4. Saudi Arabia

5. Israel

6. Iran

7. Qatar

8. Kuwait

9. Lebanon

10. Bahrain

11. Oman

Companies Mentioned

• Alibaba Group
• Amazon.com Inc
• Awok.com
• Delivery Hero
• DigiKala
• Dubizzle Middle East FZ-LLC
• eBay Inc
• Fetchr
• HiCart.com
• Jarir Bookstore
• Noon E Commerce
• Shufersal
• Souq.com FZ-LLC
• Wadi.com

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/bcs9cb/middle_east_b2c?w=5

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Research and Markets
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SOURCE Research and Markets

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