Mobile Commerce Trends in the Gulf — What the Data Says for 2026
Over 78% of orders on our platform are now placed from mobile devices. We break down the numbers and what they mean for how you sell.
Mobile commerce is not the future of retail in the Gulf — it is the present. Platform data for H1 2026 shows that 78.4% of all orders were placed on a smartphone or tablet, up from 71% in the same period last year.
Peak shopping hours are late evening
The busiest shopping period is 21:00–23:00 local time across all countries on the platform. Vendors who schedule flash sales or push notifications in this window consistently see 30–40% higher engagement than those who broadcast during business hours.
Session length is shortening
Average mobile session length dropped from 6.2 minutes to 4.8 minutes year-on-year. Shoppers are making faster decisions. This means your first product image and title need to do more work in less time — there is no room for ambiguity.
Cart abandonment is highest on Friday afternoon
Friday afternoon sees the highest cart abandonment rate (67%) of any time slot. Automated cart-recovery messages sent within 2 hours of abandonment recover 18% of those carts on average.
What this means for your store
Optimise your listing images for small screens. Keep titles concise. Set up cart-recovery automations. And consider timing your best promotions for the 21:00–23:00 window.
Written by
Sara Al-Rashidi