UAE’s TRA shares list of ‘online grocery’ apps

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), UAE’s telecom authority, has published a list of 22 applications of online stores in the country, official news agency WAM reported.

TRA added that this list is preliminary and subject to updates in the imminent future.

The online stores on the list include large shopping centres and cooperatives, as well as grocery stores, meat and vegetable shops, and other services, a statement said.

The list comes in an unprecedented time following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic during which the UAE government has urged its people to stay at home and only leave for running essential tasks.

Read: UAE urges all residents to stay home as it closes malls, makes restaurants delivery-only

From an e-commerce perspective, the year has started on a high note for the online shopping sector and further growth in online consumption is expected in the upcoming months, which would in turn raise the value of online commerce to over $19.77m in 2020, according to multiple studies, including a Ministry of Economy report, the statement said.

A total of 66 per cent of participants, in a survey carried out by the Department of Economic Development in Dubai last year, expressed confidence in online shopping while 70 per cent trusted online payments.

Online food and beverage sales in the UAE recorded a cumulative annual growth of 21 per cent from 2015 to 2018, according to strategic market research company Wilson, the statement added.