The MENA e-commerce market, projected to reach a volume of $50 billion by 2025, experienced a significant 44% growth during the 2024 holiday season, fueled by festive gifting and mobile shopping trends.
Flowwow, a UAE-based gifting marketplace, and Admitad, a partnership marketing platform, shared insights from their recent research on the e-commerce and gifting markets across the MENA region during the 2024 festive period. Gifting marketplaces saw a notable surge in activity, with Flowwow reporting a 62% increase in purchases, an 86% rise in sales turnover, and a 15.76% growth in average order value from November to mid-December 2024 compared to the previous year.
According to their data, November saw a 44% increase in online orders, making it the busiest month for e-commerce. This peak coincided with the Black Friday sales and preparations for the key celebrations of the Festive Season (New Year, Christmas). January and March also saw significant growth, with Ramadan and International Women’s Day driving online sales by 11% and 14% respectively.
The festive season also drives growth in MENA e-commerce platforms and gifting marketplaces, boosted by special promotions, convenience, and increased interest in mobile shopping. In total, the number of all e-commerce orders in MENA grew by 5% in 2024, with a 10% increase in gross merchandise value (GMV). Average order value (AOV) also rose significantly, climbing from $30 in 2023 to $36 in 2024, reflecting heightened consumer spending on online shopping to prefer quality items.
“The festive season is one of the peak shopping periods for Flowwow gifting marketplace. It’s a time when our customers focus on celebrating and sharing joy through thoughtful gifts for their loved ones. Starting with White Friday in November and continuing through the Christmas and New Year festivities, this period represents a critical shopping time in the GCC region, especially with the growing expat population. At Flowwow, we believe in the power of meaningful gifting. By connecting our customers with local shops across the UAE, we ensure their gifts are as unique as their feelings,” noted Slava Bogdan, CEO at Flowwow.
Mobile commerce played a significant role, accounting for 44.6% of all orders in the region in 2024. Saudi Arabia took the lead with 62% of orders placed via mobile devices, followed by the UAE at 60%, Bahrain at 59%, Oman at 58%, Kuwait at 57%, and Qatar at 54%. These figures underscore the increasing importance of mobile-friendly platforms and technologies in driving e-commerce growth. The broader e-commerce market in the MENA region is projected to reach $50 billion by 2028, with mobile commerce in the UAE and Saudi Arabia expected to quadruple.
Anna Gidirim, CEO at Admitad, remarked: “This year’s surge in e-commerce activity demonstrates the evolving shopping habits in the MENA region, where mobile-first experiences and marketplace-driven sales have become the backbone of consumer behavior. Our data highlights how businesses can leverage these trends to optimize their strategies and grow significantly during peak seasons.”
Marketplaces reigned supreme in the MENA e-commerce sector, contributing to 67% of total sales in 2024. This trend reflects the growing consumer preference for the convenience and variety offered by these platforms. Analyzing over 5.6 million orders in the MENA region in 2023 and 2024, Admitad found the most popular product categories, including electronics (21.4% of sales), followed by fashion (19%), and home and garden at 18.5%. Other categories such as beauty and health (6%), toys and hobbies (5.8%), and sports and entertainment (4.2%) also demonstrated steady demand. Moreover, high-value items such as furniture and homeware, electronics, and jewellery had the highest average order values (AOV) at $255, $228, and $225, respectively.
Following the trend, Flowwow as a niche gifting marketplace, experienced an 86% increase in online sales in November–mid-December 2024, compared to the festive season 2023. Flowers were the most popular category, with an average order value of AED272.96; pastries followed, with an average order value of AED135.74; then go edible bouquets, bento cakes, and gourmet gift sets with an average order value of AED161.48. Online marketplaces like Flowwow thrive during the festive season by offering discounts and personalized services, aligning with consumer demand for special offers and meaningful gifts.
The top five countries with the highest average order value (AOV) in 2024 were Kuwait at $127, the UAE at $102, Egypt at $74, Saudi Arabia at $52, and Qatar at $50. Pakistan took the lead in sales growth with a 28% increase in 2024, followed by Kuwait at 17% and Saudi Arabia at 8%. The highest GMV growth was observed in Kuwait at 25%, followed by Pakistan at 22%, Saudi Arabia at 21%, Egypt at 15%, Bahrain at 13%, and Morocco at 11%.
The research highlights the dominance of online shopping, e-commerce platforms, and gifting marketplaces in the MENA region during the festive season, driven by customers’ demand for thoughtful gifts and discounted offers. The peak shopping months align with major celebrations, revealing the influence of cultural and festive events on consumer behavior.
Mobile commerce, a continuous trend in MENA countries — particularly in the UAE, where the e-commerce market is expected to reach nearly USD $50 billion by 2028 — demonstrates the growing demand for convenient online shopping and gifting. In such a competitive atmosphere, innovative platforms and niche marketplaces that offer tailored and cutting-edge solutions will emerge as the market leaders.
