majority of shoppers (87%)want retailers to maintain cross-channel flexibilities on digital and physical offerings. E-commerce is unlikely to completely replace physical stores, as consumers are still deeply attached to the social experience of shopping.

Built on Alibaba Cloud’s immersive technology, the solution provides a rich range of essential features with minimal latency for virtual sales sessions, including live stream replays, product video showcases embedded into live streaming windows and real-time subtitle translation for cross-border live streams, among others. It also supports end-to-end and device-to-cloud live streaming, making it easier for smaller merchants to launch their own sales sessions.

We are optimistic that, given the pace at which the UAE vaccination drive is progressing, the economy will gain more traction by this summer, and the tourists will be welcomed in the UAE.

In line with insights from last year, all MENA countries spend more than four hours using mobile internet daily, 82% of Ramadan shoppers primarily use their smartphones for online shopping, and 62% insisted they would spend more time on their smartphones during the Holy Month. Various categories also attract substantial attention this time of the year.

That is largely consistent with an earlier Checkout.com report from September 2020 indicating that consumers’ embrace of online shopping is more of a long-term behavior change rather than a temporary shift resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.