By Afra Lootah
DUBAI – As a mother who takes care of her children all day long, a student who is busy with assignments, a full-time employee; sometimes it’s time-consuming to go out shopping. Many people with a busy lifestyle find it easier to shop online. That’s the reason behind many fashion brands moving online to sell their apparel.
Large fashion brands from across the world as well as local brands have moved to e-commerce (online shopping) offering worldwide shipping. Many e-commerce websites such as Net-a-Porter, Shopbop, Mytheresa and Farfetch offer a range of high-end branded apparel and footwear.
As more and more people become tech savvies, it is safe to say online shopping is more sought after. This growing industry gave many companies an opportunity to grow and make more profits. As the internet is accessible to most of the world, it is very convenient to shop through while in your own comfort. Online shopping in the United Arab Emirates has increased by 14 percent making around Dh163 million in 2016 alone!
Online shopping is more of a trend for the younger generations who are very active on their phones and laptops. This opportunity has also opened doors for local retail stores to sell online, such as Ounass and BySymphony. Ounass and BySymphony are UAE based retail stores that sell high-end branded apparel and footwear online and in their stores. These stores offer GCC customers the convenience to shop online with quick delivery.
Based on 30,000 polls on virtual shoppers in 2014, 35 percent of the UAE residents shop online for clothing wear, footwear and accessories. The fashion websites mentioned offer apparel for female adults. According to statistics, 52-53 percent of UAE online shoppers are older than 26. What’s shocking is that 32 percent of all online shoppers in the UAE are women and 68 percent are men.
About 70-80 percent of online purchases in the Middle East prefer cash-on-delivery, and 30 percent is paid online. Interestingly, 64 percent of online shoppers purchase online because of better offers, while 34 percent purchase online for the opportunity to read reviews.
Based on first-hand experience with most of these online fashion destinations mentioned all have an easy and smooth experience as you browse. The prices are a bit high, since the clothing wear and footwear are of high-end brands. The delivery time of Ounass is very quick with same day deliver, as the items are already in the UAE. Shopbop offers reasonable prices and two-week shipping to the UAE which is really good. While Net-a-Porter can sometimes take longer.
The best fashion e-commerce that ship to the UAE:
- Net-a-Porter: U.K.-based. Retail online store of many top designers.
- Shopbop: Retails online store of many top designers.
- Farfetch: U.K.-based founded by a portugese entrepreneur José Neves
- Mytheresa: German-based. Retails online store of many top designers
- Shopstyle: A large search engine for everything fashion related to find exactly what you’re looking for using one website.
- Ounass: UAE-based retail store of various fashion brands.
- BySymphony: UAE-based retail store of various fashion brands.
Even though most women prefer shopping in stores to find a perfect fit, online shopping is very appealing with special deals and easy at home access. Online shopping is a growing market for stores to be able to reach customers from around the world. The best fashion e-commerce that has been mentioned ship to the UAE with reasonable prices as well as a large range of fashion items to choose from.
This story was originally published on Nov. 28, 2017. It was re-uploaded on Jan. 2, 2021. The photo that accompanied this story was lost due to the loss of the domain name.
