We have the world’s biggest mall (The Dubai Mall) and there are over 10 new malls in the pipeline, so it’s pretty safe to say that we love to shop in the UAE.
However, while our penchant for trawling the malls is no secret, our shopping habits are a lesser known. According to a survey by fashion app Shedd, 42 per cent of UAE women tend to keep their shopping habits private, including how often they shop and how much they spend, from their family, friends and partners. We’ve all been there – hiding that shopping receipt after a impromptu spree when it’s rent week.
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Emirati women were revealed to be the most secretive, with one in five keeping their habits secret. In comparison, six out of 10 Asian respondents claimed to never, or ‘almost never’ keep their shopping habits from friends and family. According to Shedd “Westerners seem to be the proudest of their shopping habits; with 65 per cent of Western women polled claiming they almost never keep their shopping habits private.”
When it comes to how much women spend, the results showed that Asian and Western women spend a similar proportion of their income on fashion shopping – 16 per cent and 15 per cent respectively, with Emirati women spending 43 per cent. Almost a third of Emirati women polled (27 per cent) spend 60 per cent of their income or more on shopping each month, compared to just three per cent of Westerners and Asians who spend the same proportion.
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“Although UAE expatriates tend to earn higher salaries than they would in their respective home countries, it seems their cultural attitudes towards spending remain the same despite living outside of their homeland,” said Fadeelah Al-horaibi, Business Development Manager at Shedd. “For example, Emiratis may view shopping as more of a leisure activity with the mall seen as a place to socialise, not just shop, whereas other nationalities polled seemed more cautious with how much they spend on shopping. Our app user nationalities are reflected in this thinking, with the majority of those embracing buying and selling pre-loved items via Shedd of Asian or European descent.”
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According to the survey, residents in Abu Dhabi tend to spend more than those in Dubai. The higher spend is most likely down to the fact that the capital has a higher proportion of Emirati residents compared to Dubai – 20 per cent compared to between 10 and 15 per cent in Dubai.
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