Most online shoppers in Saudi prefer multi-brand websites: survey

Multi-brand e-commerce websites are the preferred choice for online shopping in Saudi Arabia, according to a recent YouGov survey.

The study, which surveyed 2,000 consumers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, found that 52 percent of consumers do most of their online shopping on websites with multiple categories and brands, which only exist online.

Meanwhile, 27 percent favor retailer websites that have a physical presence in store and online, the report said.

Only 17 percent favored single brand websites, which have a physical store presence and online, the survey said.

Electronics topped the list of most popular products to buy online, with 88 percent of survey respondents voting in its favor. Thirty-two percent said mobile phones were the hottest electronic product to shop online.

Over 50 percent of the respondents said the ease with which they can find products they are interested in was the primary reason to shop online. Over a third, particularly those aged between 35 and 39, favored online shopping due to the comfort it offered to buy from their home.

Meanwhile, a quarter of respondents said they could find better prices online than in store, while one in five said it was easier to compare prices and products across different brands. 

According to the survey, 44 percent of consumers in Saudi Arabia preferred international sites, while 26 percent favored local sites. The rest remained neutral.

By contrast, UAE consumers favored both options almost equally, with 39 percent preferring local and 38 percent international.