Bath and Shower in the United Arab Emirates

2020 IMPACT

Safety and hygiene concerns drive demand in 2020

As consumers have become increasingly concerned about hygiene and personal safety in a bid to fight the pandemic, demand for sanitisers, antibacterial wipes and other multipurpose cleaning products saw growth as anxiety around cleanliness increased amid the pandemic. Small pack sizes that are convenient for on-the-go use also saw significant growth, as regular hand sanitisation with liquid soap grew in importance.

Anti-bacterial product claims increase in light of heightened health awareness

In light of the heightened heath awareness caused by the onset of COVID-19, anti-bacterial and immunity-related claims have increased, especially within hand and liquid soap categories. Claims such as “kills 99.

Innovation in hygiene and health space may fuel recovery

New products related to personal hygiene, like direct sellers Forever Living’s aloe liquid soap, may help sales over the forecast period, as more consumers in the United Arab Emirates are becoming ever more vigilant about cleanliness. Furthermore, innovation in supplements and immunity boosters is also expected to be a source of growth over the forecast period.

International players remain dominant

The two major players, Unilever and Reckitt Benckiser remain the leaders of this category despite seeing a slight dip in their market share due to new players entering the market. The other multinational players at the top of the leader board include Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel and Johnson & Johnson.

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

Mobile apps grow share of bath and shower penetration

Sales through mobile applications skyrocketed during 2020. United Arab Emirates-based e-grocery start-up InstaShop is one of the leading food and drink e-commerce players and was acquired in August 2020 by Germany’s Delivery Hero.

Hygiene products take greater shelf space in convenience stores

The majority of convenience stores in the United Arab Emirates are found within malls and corporate offices rather than tucked away in residential neighbourhoods. Due to this unfortunate positioning, convenience stores in the country saw dramatic declines as footfall fell off a cliff during lockdown in spring 2020.

Discount variety stores seen as reliable supplier of PPE and hand sanitiser

Discount variety store Daiso was able to raise its brand awareness and profile in the United Arab Emirates with its reliable stocking of personal protective equipment such as masks, face shields and gloves as well as disinfectant. It gained a great deal of attention with its low prices, even undercutting the price of the same goods you could typically find at a low price point online.