Prime Highlights
- UAE and Saudi Arabia are leading digital adoption, with rapid uptake of AI tools, social commerce, and connected lifestyles.
- Deloitte’s report highlights that trust issues like data privacy and misinformation remain top consumer concerns despite the shift toward digital-first living.
Key Facts
- 58% of consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia have used generative AI tools, with over half engaging with them weekly or daily.
- 73% of respondents made purchases on social platforms in the past year, heavily influenced by influencer marketing and affiliate links.
Background
Consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are quickly moving toward a digital-first lifestyle, with strong adoption of artificial intelligence, social shopping, and connected devices, according to Deloitte’s Digital Consumer Trends 2025 report.
The study, based on responses from 2,000 consumers between 18 and 50 years old, shows that 58% of people in both countries have used generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini. The adoption rates are much higher than in the UK and other European markets. Among these users, more than half interact with AI on a weekly or daily basis for work, learning, and personal tasks.
Social commerce is emerging as well. Approximately 73% of the surveyed respondents have purchased products on social platforms in the past year, and many of these purchases were influenced by influencer recommendations and affiliate links.
“The UAE and Saudi Arabia are leading the digital transformation, marked by rapid AI adoption and increasingly connected lifestyles. Such a trend emphasizes the open-mindedness of the consumer and strong digital infrastructures in the region, said Emmanuel Durou, Technology, Media and Telecommunications Leader of the Deloitte Middle East.
Smartphones remain digital consumption leaders with 96 percent of the population using them on a daily basis.
However, concerns around trust remain. One in four consumers cited data privacy as their biggest worry, particularly those who use AI less often. Another urgent concern is misinformation, as 48% of UAE respondents believe they receive fake information on the Internet more often than ever.
Smartphones continue to dominate in digital consumption, with 96% of the population using smartphones on a daily basis. Smart devices are becoming popular, too 89% of them plan to buy new devices, such as smartphones, laptops, or smartwatches within 12 months. The rate of decline of smart home devices is slow, but interest is increasing.
The report further states that there are issues with media consumption, where more consumers are dropping streaming services due to higher subscriptions charges and restrictions on sharing an account.
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