Online grocery searches up 560% in the UAE

Searches related to online grocery in the UAE grew 560% between January and March 2020, amidst lockdown, movement restrictions and social distancing designed to minimise the impact of COVID-19. UAE residents are increasingly turning to home delivery options for their groceries, according to analytics from digital marketing platform SEMrush.

Searches for online pharmacy jumped 238%, while pharmacy delivery searches rose 184%.

Also read: Consumers turning towards online amidst COVID-19

Delivery aggregators and consumer goods providers also saw steady increases in search volume with Zomato seeing a 55% search volume increase during the same period, while Uber Eats searches rose by 96% and Amazon searches climbed 44%.

Collectively, fast food sites have seen a 33% increase in search volumes, with big winners like Domino’s Pizza and Subway seeing increases of 40% and 61%, respectively.

Similar trends have been witnessed around the world, with online shopping seeing a 50% increase in Germany, a 122% in Japan and a 108% increase in Korea.

SEMrush graph

“The COVID-19 outbreak has affected people around the world; it has also affected behavioural patterns in daily routines globally, causing ripple effects that have temporarily changed the global economy,” observed Olga Andrienko, head of global marketing, SEMrush.

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