United Arab Emirates

Millennial shoppers tend to like personalisation and tend to favour bag and luggage products that are “affordable luxury” with opportunities to personalise the products. Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Coach and Kate Spade are doing well, especially with ...

Engraving and picking products to express one’s personality are current trends in the United Arab Emirates. Swarovski has been very successful at this, as have Pandora and Monica Vinader. The personalisation can go a lot further than simply having a ...

The United Arab Emirates retail environment has been in difficult economic straits since 2014, although the past few years have seen an improvement, albeit with only slow growth. Difficulties for personal accessories players have arisen due to high ...

Consumer spending in the United Arab Emirates took a hit during the economic slowdown of 2016 and 2017. In 2018, there was a slight improvement in consumer spending, which was reflected in value sales growth of watches returning to positive ...

As technology replaces bland pens, “fancy” pens, such as fountain pens, are enjoying something of a resurgence. This trend is particularly popular among younger consumers, who are reacting against the reality of living in a digital world and one in ...

Daily disposable lenses enjoy consumer preference for reasons such as the wide availability of samples for customers to trial as well as through recommendations by opticians. In a climate such as the United Arab Emirates, where the wind blows sand ...

2019 was a tough year for eyewear in the United Arab Emirates. Eyewear continued to witness low single-digit current value growth due to the economic downturn that first hit the market in 2014. Consumers have become increasingly careful with their ...

A fashion-conscious cosmopolitan market, the United Arab Emirates is very much fuelled by fashion trends. As local, Bollywood and Hollywood stars are increasingly being seen as bespectacled, this trend is set to grow as a fashion accessory, not just ...

While in many countries sales of sunglasses are weather dependent, it is sunny almost all year round in the United Arab Emirates, which means that sunglasses are considered a must for most people due to the United Arab Emirates lifestyle. Increasing ...

In 2018, consumers in the United Arab Emirates became more reluctant to spend their money. As consumer spending dropped, more people chose to cut their expenditure on personal treats. Non-Muslims and Western expatriates are the major groups driving ...

Cider/perry registered a decline in total volume terms in 2018. The introduction of VAT and the decrease in consumer spending negatively affected sales in the United Arab Emirates. Consumers became more price-sensitive, and volume sales declined, as ...

The United Arab Emirates is facing tough challenges, as changes in both consumers’ buying behaviour and demographics started to have an effect in many categories. In 2018, both on-trade and off-trade volume sales of alcoholic drinks decreased in the ...

In 2018, spirits categories registered uneven performances in the United Arab Emirates. From 2013, vodka has been challenged worldwide, as its total sales slowed down around the world. Nevertheless, at this time the vodka category in the United Arab ...

Although the economy is going through a downturn in the United Arab Emirates, people are still interested in spending their leisure time in high-end restaurants, because of the strong eating-out culture in the country. In 2018, wine benefited from ...

Positive, albeit declining, natural change and net migration will drive population growth in the UAE up to 2030. Reliance on foreign labour means that foreign citizens will continue to account for a huge 88% of the population in 2030. While older age...

Although toys and games continued to see growth in current value terms in 2018, this was slower than in all other years of the review period. This was due to the challenges faced by the economy, which remained uncertain, and lower consumer ...

Traditional toys and games declined in current value terms in 2018. With the United Arab Emirates suffering tough economic times, many consumers limited their spending in the category. Also, child-friendly interactive and engaging gadgets and phone ...

In 2018, video games grew in terms of both hardware and software. With launches of console upgrades over the last year, sales of static consoles grew in 2018, driving the growth of video games hardware. In addition, technology and innovation drove ...

Building on trends witnessed the previous year, 2018 saw the launch of many new-born ranges, such as the Fifi & Friends new collection of natural, hypoallergenic bath and body baby products. One of its most popular products is its organic aloe ...

A nascent trend in bath and shower is that simple and natural products are increasingly favoured, especially by young consumers, over products that are positioned as antibacterial. In other words, chemical-laden shower gels are being rejected for ...